Anatomical adaptable drape device

Abstract

An anatomical drape (1a or 1b), such as a dental drape, for covering a treatment area of an anatomical part, the drape comprising an elastomeric material capable of conforming to the contours of the anatomical part and including a curing agent (9) contained within internal channels distributed in the drape; and wherein activation of the curing agent, for example by a light source, causes hardening of the material to at least partially set the drape in a configuration conforming to the anatomical part. The semi-rigid set drape is liquid impermeable but gas permeable. A method of manufacturing the drape is also disclosed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to methods and devices useful in providing drapes or covers for anatomical parts, such as during treatment of the parts, particularly but not exclusively to oral drapes for dental treatments.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In dental medicine, many treatment materials are typically placed within the oral cavity on the hard (teeth) tissues and soft (inner mucosal epithelium of the cheek, lips, and gingiva and the tongue) tissues.[0003]These treatment materials are placed topically on these tissues or may be inserted (injected) in the space between them, for example, in the naturally occurring sulcus at the tooth / gum line.[0004]These treatment materials are typically applied to the tissues in an “open” manner, namely, without any covering material or containment device. This significantly reduces their desired therapeutic effect as the materials are immediately exposed to saliva contamination (containing numerous pathogenic mic...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides an anatomical drape for covering a treatment area of an anatomical part. The drape is made of elastomeric material that can conform to the contours of the anatomical part and includes a curing agent that can harden the material to at least partially set the drape in a configuration conforming to the anatomical part. The drape is either gas permeable or liquid impermeable. The invention also provides a method for manufacturing the anatomical drape and a kit for covering a treatment area. The technical effects of the invention include improved conformity of the drape to the anatomical part, improved protection of the anatomical part during treatment, and improved fluid seal of the treatment cavities.

Problems solved by technology

This significantly reduces their desired therapeutic effect as the materials are immediately exposed to saliva contamination (containing numerous pathogenic microorganisms) and salivary washout (or fluid / solids ingestion washout) in a very short time.

These typically leak the treatment material out of them and also allow saliva to seep inside of them as the stiff material of the tray is difficult to adapt closely to the undulating and varied topography of the teeth and surrounding gums of each individual patient which they are meant to cover.

Due to their size they can only treat very limited areas of the soft tissues of the oral cavity and cannot be used to treat the teeth as they cannot be adhered to the teeth structure.

The application of these materials are manually intensive and require a high skill level to apply.

Additionally, they are often highly brittle and tend to break or fall off the gingiva and are easily dislodged when even slight pressure or flexing force is applied to them.

They are therefore unsuitable to use a gingival barrier in conjunction with an intra-oral mouthpiece.

These devices are typically very cumbersome and very large, uncomfortable for the patient and due to their size and coverage of large areas of the intra-oral anatomical structures, preclude their use in conjunction with the insertion of an intra-oral mouthpiece in the mouth.

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