Robotics with femtosecond pulses for precise and efficient dental surgery

Teeth, the hardest tissues in the human body, cannot be cut using existing robotic tools, and conventional manual procedures often fail to achieve the high precision and efficiency required for operations in the confined space of the oral cavity. In response to this challenge, this paper proposes a miniaturized tooth-ablating robotic system designed specifically for narrow oral spaces and capable of directing femtosecond lasers to efficiently cut human teeth. The system's effectiveness was evaluated through experiments on resins and natural teeth, achieving an optimal accuracy of approximately 100 μm, which is nearly 3 times higher than manual operation. These results demonstrate the significant potential of the system for clinical use in minimally invasive and highly precise dental surgery. Furthermore, the cutting process lasted approximately 10 minutes, which is nearly 3 times shorter than manual operation, reflecting a satisfactory level of efficiency. Thus, the proposed system proves not only its capacity to enhance the safety, comfort, precision, and efficiency of minimally invasive dental procedures but also its potential future applicability to surgeries involving other parts of the human body.