Artificial tartar adhesion performance tester and testing method

Abstract

The invention discloses an artificial tartar adhesion performance tester and a testing method, a test piece fixing frame and a scraper fixing frame are fixed on an instrument base, and a test piece sliding table and a scraper sliding table are respectively arranged on the test piece fixing frame and the scraper fixing frame in a sliding manner; a lateral stress sensor and a scraping stress sensor which are provided with a test piece and a scraper are respectively arranged on a test piece sliding table and a scraper sliding table, and a test piece driving device and a scraper driving device drive the test piece sliding table and the scraper sliding table to slide so that the scraper can scrape sheet-shaped, point-shaped or rod-shaped artificial tartar on the surface of the test piece. The control system forms a stress curve according to the sensing stress of the lateral stress sensor and the scraping stress sensor when the tartar is scraped, the stress curve is output outwards by the data output device, and then the adhesion performance of various shapes of artificial tartar formed by combining various artificial tartar materials and the simulated dental surface is analyzed, so that the selection of the artificial tartar materials is facilitated, and the artificial tartar scraping efficiency is improved. The system can simulate the operation of a dentist for comprehensive testing, and the test data is accurate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of oral teaching technology, and in particular to an instrument and method for testing the adhesion performance of artificial calculus. Background Technology

[0002] Dental calculus is formed by the calcification of plaque and soft deposits. It is a calcified or calcifying plaque and soft deposit that accumulates on the tooth surface or the surface of restorations. It is gradually formed by the deposition of mineral salts from saliva or gingival crevicular fluid and is difficult to remove once formed. Once formed, dental calculus cannot be removed by brushing or other methods, and its surface is covered with a large amount of plaque, becoming a stimulating factor for periodontal disease.

[0003] Based on the location of its deposition, dental calculus can be divided into supragingival calculus and subgingival calculus, with the gingival margin as the boundary.

[0004] Supragingival calculus: It is generally large in volume and usually appears as a large, irregularly shaped mass. It has a medium hardness, while newly formed calculus is soft and porous.

[0005] Subgingival calculus: Smaller and harder than supragingival calculus, it generally adheres more firmly to the tooth surface. It is dense and brittle, and newly formed subgingival calculus is relatively soft.

[0006] Scaling and scaling training is one of the essential surgical techniques in dental clinical teaching. Pre-attached dental models with artificial calculus are essential teaching tools in dental schools for oral surgery training. Furthermore, because school teachers have specific requirements regarding the size, thickness, and location of the calculus, manufacturers also provide artificial calculus varnish to schools, allowing them to apply it to the model teeth themselves.

[0007] However, some problems were encountered in actual use and feedback:

[0008] The different molding materials used for model teeth result in varying adhesion forces of the same type of artificial tartar to different tooth surface materials.

[0009] Controlling the adhesion of artificial tartar to teeth by polishing the tooth surface to different degrees is difficult and laborious for both teachers and students.

[0010] Different parts of the tartar require different adhesion forces; how much adhesion force is considered too much or too little is not a quantitative standard that school teachers can provide, they can only describe their personal feeling.

[0011] Whether the same artificial tartar coating solution, when applied to the tooth surface to form tartar of different sizes and shapes, will lead to different adhesion forces, has not been definitively stated by schools or manufacturers.

[0012] There is no definitive answer as to which type of artificial calculus varnish best simulates natural calculus, considering factors such as the hardness after hardening, whether a more resilient or brittle varnish is desired.

[0013] Different types of artificial calculus coatings are available, some are single-component curing and some are two-component curing. There is no experimental method to confirm which type can better control the shape and thickness of calculus during application, and what effect each will have on adhesion. Summary of the Invention

[0014] To overcome the above shortcomings, this invention provides an artificial calculus adhesion performance tester and test method. This tester and method can simulate the actions of a dentist using a periodontal scaling instrument (or scaler) to remove calculus. During the scaling process, the reaction force experienced by the scaling instrument and the force applied to the tooth surface are dynamically and quantitatively recorded, and a force curve is plotted. This allows for the analysis of the adhesion of calculus of different shapes and thicknesses, thereby aiding in the research and development of artificial calculus materials and coating processes.

[0015] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: an artificial calculus adhesion performance tester, comprising a scraper, an instrument base, a test piece holder, a scraper holder, a test piece slide, a scraper slide, a lateral force sensor, a scraping force sensor, a test piece driving device, a scraper driving device, a control system, and a data output device. The test piece holder and the scraper holder are respectively fixedly installed on the instrument base. The test piece slide and the scraper slide are respectively slidably installed on the test piece holder and the scraper holder. The lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor are respectively fixedly installed on the test piece slide and the scraper slide. A test piece with dotted, rod-shaped, or sheet-shaped artificial calculus adhered to one side of its surface is detachably fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor. The scraper is detachably fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor. The scraper driving device can drive the scraper. The reciprocating movement of the scraper slide allows the scraper to be fed to the initial scraping position of the artificial calculus on the test piece or to a position away from the test piece. The test piece drive device can drive the test piece slide to reciprocate to scrape the artificial calculus on the test piece. The lateral force sensor can sense the lateral force when the blade of the scraper contacts the artificial calculus on the test piece. The scraping force sensor can sense the scraping force during the scraping process of the blade of the scraper. The lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor are respectively connected to the control system via wired or wireless connection to transmit the sensing data. The control system can convert the data detected by the lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor into a force curve, and output it to the outside of the data output device for judging and selecting the scraping situation of artificial calculus of different materials and shapes. The control system can also control the start and stop of the test piece drive device and the scraper drive device.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the test piece fixing frame extends vertically, the scraper fixing frame extends horizontally, and the test piece fixing frame and the scraper fixing frame intersect vertically to form an L-shaped structure. The test piece is fixed on the lateral force sensor extending vertically, and the scraper can slide horizontally to directly below the artificial calculus on the test piece.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, the test piece fixing frame is provided with a vertical guide rail extending in a vertical direction, and the scraper fixing frame is provided with a horizontal guide rail extending in a horizontal direction. The test piece slide and the scraper slide are slidably mounted on the vertical guide rail and the horizontal guide rail, respectively. The test piece driving device includes a first motor and a first lead screw, and the scraper driving device includes a second motor and a second lead screw. The first lead screw and the second lead screw are rotatably mounted on the test piece fixing frame and the scraper fixing frame, respectively. The first motor and the second motor drive the first lead screw and the second lead screw to rotate, respectively. The first lead screw is movably screwed to the test piece slide, and the second lead screw is movably screwed to the scraper slide.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, a test piece positioning device and a scraper positioning device are also provided, wherein:

[0019] The test piece positioning device includes a test piece clamp, test piece pressing blocks, and test piece locking screws. The test piece clamp is fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor. A test piece mounting groove is formed on the side surface of the test piece clamp facing away from the lateral force sensor. If the side of the test piece with artificial calculus is the front, then the back side of the test piece, which is opposite to the front side, can be inserted into the test piece mounting groove. The depth of the test piece mounting groove is less than the thickness of the test piece. Two test piece pressing blocks can be fixedly installed on the side surface of the test piece clamp facing away from the lateral force sensor by the test piece locking screws. The two test piece pressing blocks can press the two sides of the front side of the test piece in the test piece mounting groove to achieve pressing and fixing of the test piece.

[0020] The scraper positioning device includes a scraper fixing block and a scraper locking screw. The scraper fixing block can be fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor. A scraper slot is formed on the surface of the scraper fixing block. If the side where the scraper blade is located is the front, then the side opposite the front is the back. The back of the scraper can be inserted into the scraper slot. The scraper has a fixing through hole, and the bottom surface of the scraper slot has a scraper locking threaded hole. The scraper locking screw can pass through the fixing through hole on the scraper and screw into the scraper locking threaded hole on the bottom surface of the scraper slot to achieve fixed positioning of the scraper on the scraper fixing block.

[0021] As a further improvement of the present invention, the scraper includes a scraper body and a scraper blade. The scraper blade is integrally formed and protrudes from at least one side wall of the scraper body. The scraper blade has a sharp cutting edge with gradually decreasing thickness at the edge facing the front of the scraper. The scraper locking thread hole is provided on the scraper body.

[0022] As a further improvement of the present invention, the scraper body is a frustum structure with a front dimension larger than the back dimension, and the scraper body is a block structure that is symmetrical in front and back and left and right. Two scraper blades are symmetrically arranged on the front and back side walls of the scraper body, and the scraper blades form the cutting edge together through the inclined side and the concave arc front.

[0023] As a further improvement of the present invention, a lateral force sensor fixing block, a lateral force sensor elevation block, and a scraping force sensor elevation block are also provided. The lateral force sensor fixing block is fixedly installed on the test piece slide table, and the lateral force sensor elevation block is fixedly installed on the surface of the lateral force sensor fixing block facing the scraper fixing frame. The lower end of the lateral force sensor is fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor elevation block, and the test piece is fixedly installed on the other side of the upper end of the lateral force sensor. The scraping force sensor elevation block is fixedly installed on the scraper slide table, and the lower side of one end of the scraping force sensor is fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor elevation block. The scraper is fixedly installed on the upper side of the other end of the scraping force sensor.

[0024] A method for testing the adhesion performance of artificial dental calculus includes the following steps:

[0025] Step 1: Prepare the test sample:

[0026] (1) First, a thin-film test substrate is formed according to the design dimensions. The substrate is made of the same synthetic resin material as the tooth model. The substrate has tartar adhered to it, simulating the surface of a human tooth. Commonly used materials for tooth models in dental training include melamine resin, urea resin, and epoxy resin. Different materials have different molding methods, such as injection molding, casting molding, 3D printing, or ceramic sintering. After the substrate is formed, it is generally not surface treated except for degreasing and cleaning. This ensures comparability of adhesion test data for various artificial tartars.

[0027] (2) Apply artificial tartar coating to the surface of the test substrate according to the designed dimensions. After the artificial tartar coating cures, it forms artificial tartar with the designed dimensions and shape. The coated artificial tartar can be classified into several types according to the requirements of the test plan:

[0028] The examples show rectangular calculus sheets with coating thicknesses of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 1.0mm. These simulate large sheets of supragingival calculus attached to the tooth surface. The scaling and root planing motion is simulated by scraping from one side of the rectangular sheet to the other, covering a long distance.

[0029] Rod-shaped calculus, with a nearly semi-circular cross-section, is applied in three thicknesses: 0.3mm, 0.6mm, and 1.0mm. It simulates long (or strip-shaped) calculus attached to the gum line. When simulating the action of a periodontal scaling instrument, one side of the rod scrapes towards the other, removing a relatively short distance.

[0030] Dot-like calculus, in essence, is a short rod-shaped piece of tartar. In the examples, the coating thickness is divided into three types: 0.3mm, 0.6mm, and 1.0mm. It simulates dot-like calculus attached to the gum line. When simulating the movement of a periodontal scaling instrument, one end of the short rod scrapes towards the other, removing a longer distance than a standard rod-shaped calculus.

[0031] Step 2: Install the scraper:

[0032] (1) First, insert the scraper into the scraper slot of the scraper fixing block, and then fix the scraper and the scraper fixing block together by the scraper locking screw to form a whole;

[0033] (2) Secure the scraper fixing block with the scraper to the scraping force sensor with screws, and make the blade of the scraper face the test piece installation direction;

[0034] Step 3: Install the test piece:

[0035] First, secure the test piece clamp to the lateral force sensor with screws. Then, insert the test piece prepared in step one into the test piece mounting slot of the test piece clamp. Use the test piece locking screws to lock the two test piece pressure blocks to both sides of the test piece clamp. Clamping the left and right sides of the test piece will fix the test piece on the test piece clamp.

[0036] Step 4: Press the start switch of the artificial calculus adhesion performance tester. The scraper drive device starts first, and the scraper moves towards the test piece along with the scraper slide. When the blade of the scraper contacts the surface of the test piece and the force measured by the lateral force sensor is between 15 and 25g, the test piece drive device starts, and the test piece begins to move downward with the test piece slide. The scraper begins to scrape away the artificial calculus. Every time the test piece moves 0.1mm, the lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor transmit force sensing data to the control system once. After the scraper drive device starts, The test action of scraping artificial calculus only begins when the contact force between the blade and the substrate is between 15 and 25g, which is consistent with the actual clinical operation of dentists. This arrangement is to avoid scratching the patient's tooth surface by the blade. According to the standard of clinical calculus removal, the initial contact force between the blade and the substrate plane of the test piece is maintained at 15 to 25g. This ensures that the calculus is scraped more cleanly and avoids the blade damaging the substrate plane (that is, the simulated human tooth surface) during the scraping of artificial calculus. During the scraping process, the feed direction of the blade is parallel to the substrate plane.

[0037] Step 5: The control system draws force curves for the force received from the scraping force sensor (for scraping artificial calculus head-on) and the lateral force received from the lateral force sensor (for the artificial calculus deforming and bending during scraping), and outputs them to the outside via the data output device.

[0038] Step Six: By analyzing the force curves generated from scraping artificial calculus of different shapes formed by different artificial calculus materials on substrates made of different materials, the adhesion ability of various artificial calculus materials in different shapes on the tooth surface of different materials is determined. Based on the analysis data, a reasonable artificial calculus material is selected and applied to the tooth surface of different materials to form simulated artificial calculus.

[0039] By analyzing the stress curves, we can identify which artificial calculus pieces are rigid and adhere firmly to the tooth surface, barely moving even with significant scraping force; which are resilient, deforming considerably but not easily removed; some are brittle, scraping off in small fragments while others flake off in large pieces; and some have poor adhesion, detaching completely with a single touch from the scraper. In actual clinical practice, we may encounter artificial calculus pieces with varying textures and adhesion characteristics. Therefore, even though these are only simulated artificial calculus pieces, teachers responsible for dental education still impose various material requirements on dental model suppliers. As developers of dental teaching models, we can use this invention to purposefully and quantitatively develop and select simulation materials.

[0040] As a further improvement of the present invention, the test substrate is formed by thermosetting injection molding in step one; the coating and molding of artificial dental calculus on the test substrate is performed by any one of the following two methods:

[0041] Method 1: Mold Forming Method: Design and manufacture an artificial calculus forming mold. The artificial calculus forming mold has several combined artificial calculus cavities and sheet-shaped artificial calculus cavities. Then, pour liquid artificial calculus material into the combined artificial calculus cavities and sheet-shaped artificial calculus cavities of the artificial calculus forming mold. Finally, cover the opening surfaces of each combined artificial calculus cavity and sheet-shaped artificial calculus cavity of the artificial calculus forming mold with several test pieces. After the liquid artificial calculus material solidifies on the surface of the test piece base, remove the artificial calculus forming mold to obtain several test pieces with dot-shaped and rod-shaped artificial calculus as well as test pieces with sheet-shaped artificial calculus.

[0042] Method 2: Manual coating method: Design and manufacture a coating fixture that can be fixed and positioned with the test substrate and form a coating contour restriction structure on the surface of the test substrate. Then, manually coat the artificial tartar material layer by layer. During coating, each layer of artificial tartar material is cured before the next layer is coated, until the artificial tartar is accumulated on the surface of the test substrate to the designed thickness.

[0043] Artificial calculus is not applied in one coat; instead, one layer is cured and then another is applied on top until the required thickness is achieved. This method of calculus buildup mirrors the natural process of calculus formation in the oral cavity.

[0044] As a further improvement of the present invention, the test piece formed in step one is basically a square thin sheet structure. The sheet-like artificial dentistry is a rectangular artificial dentistry with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm located at the center of the test piece substrate. Two dot-shaped artificial dentistry pieces with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm and two rod-shaped artificial dentistry pieces with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm are distributed on the same test piece substrate surface. The two dot-shaped artificial dentistry pieces are symmetrically spaced vertically at the center of the test piece substrate, and the two rod-shaped artificial dentistry pieces are symmetrically distributed on the left and right sides of the two dot-shaped artificial dentistry pieces with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm at the center of the test piece substrate. Artificial calculus extends along the direction of two dot-shaped artificial calculus on the test piece substrate. During testing, the test piece with square artificial calculus is installed horizontally or vertically to obtain two sets of force curves with different time consumption. After one test with the test piece having dot-shaped and rod-shaped artificial calculus installed vertically, it is rotated 180 degrees and tested again to obtain two sets of force curves for scraping dot-shaped artificial calculus. Then, the test piece with dot-shaped and rod-shaped artificial calculus is installed horizontally and tested once, then rotated 180 degrees and tested again to obtain two sets of force curves for scraping rod-shaped artificial calculus across the middle.

[0045] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention controls the high-precision relative movement between the blade of the scraper and the test piece coated with artificial calculus through a control system, simulating the scraping process of calculus on the tooth surface. It can simultaneously acquire quantitative force data during the scraping process to generate force curves. Furthermore, based on the test data of various test pieces, the adhesion performance of various artificial calculus materials combined with the simulated tooth surface to form various shapes of artificial calculus can be analyzed. When creating an oral model with artificial calculus, suitable artificial calculus materials can be selected for molding based on the analyzed data. This invention detects the force during the scraping of artificial calculus, not only detecting the force in the scraping direction but also the lateral force during scraping. Because many types of calculus have a certain degree of toughness, they deform under stress during contact with the scraper blade, pressing laterally against the test piece substrate and generating a large lateral force. Reading and analyzing this lateral force is beneficial for accurately judging the simulation of artificial calculus. During testing, the relative movement between the test piece and the blade of the scraper can be controlled by a program based on real-time force data from two force sensors, providing a certain degree of freedom and simulating the operating techniques of different dentists for more comprehensive testing. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of a test specimen with sheet-like artificial calculus;

[0047] Figure 2 A front view of a test specimen with sheet-like artificial calculus;

[0048] Figure 3 A bottom view of a test specimen with sheet-like artificial calculus;

[0049] Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of a test specimen with dot-like and rod-shaped artificial calculus;

[0050] Figure 5 A front view of a test specimen with dotted and rod-shaped artificial calculus;

[0051] Figure 6 A bottom view of a test specimen with dotted and rod-shaped artificial calculus;

[0052] Figure 7 Right view of a test specimen with dotted and rod-shaped artificial calculus;

[0053] Figure 8 This is a first perspective view of the scraper of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 9 This is a second perspective view of the scraper of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 10 This is a front view of the scraper of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 11 This is a left view of the scraper of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 12 This is a top view of the scraper of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 13 A first perspective view of the tester for testing sheet-like artificial dental calculus according to the present invention;

[0059] Figure 14 A second perspective view of the tester for testing sheet-like artificial dental calculus according to the present invention;

[0060] Figure 15 for Figure 14 Enlarged view of section A in the middle;

[0061] Figure 16 This is a front view of the tester of the present invention testing sheet-like artificial calculus;

[0062] Figure 17 Left view of the tester for testing sheet-like artificial dental calculus according to the present invention;

[0063] Figure 18 for Figure 17 Sectional view along the BB direction;

[0064] Figure 19 for Figure 18 Enlarged view of section C;

[0065] Figure 20 A top view of the tester of the present invention testing sheet-like artificial calculus;

[0066] Figure 21 for Figure 20 Sectional view along the DD direction;

[0067] Figure 22 for Figure 21 Enlarged view of section E in the middle;

[0068] Figure 23 A three-dimensional view of the tester of the present invention testing for dot-like artificial dental calculus;

[0069] Figure 24 for Figure 23 Enlarged view of section F in the middle;

[0070] Figure 25 A three-dimensional view of the tester for testing rod-shaped artificial dental calculus according to the present invention;

[0071] Figure 26 for Figure 25 Enlarged view of the middle G section

[0072] Figure 27 A three-dimensional drawing of an artificial calculus molding mold;

[0073] Figure 28 The scraping force curve of a 1mm thick sheet of artificial dental calculus on an epoxy resin substrate.

[0074] Figure 29 Lateral force curves for scraping 1mm thick sheet-like artificial tartar on an epoxy resin substrate.

[0075] Figure 30 The scraping force curve of a 1mm thick rod-shaped artificial tartar scraping test on an epoxy resin substrate;

[0076] Figure 31 Lateral force curves for scraping 1mm thick rod-shaped artificial tartar on an epoxy resin substrate.

[0077] Figure 32 The scraping force curve of a 1mm thick dotted artificial tartar scraping test on an epoxy resin substrate.

[0078] Figure 33 Lateral force curves for scraping 1mm thick dotted artificial tartar on an epoxy resin substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0079] Example: An artificial calculus adhesion performance tester includes a scraper 2, an instrument base 3, a test piece holder 4, a scraper holder 5, a test piece slide 6, a scraper slide 7, a lateral force sensor 8, a scraping force sensor 9, a test piece 1 driving device, a scraper 2 driving device, a control system, and a data output device. The test piece holder 4 and the scraper holder 5 are fixedly installed on the instrument base 3. The test piece slide 6 and the scraper slide 7 are slidably installed on the test piece holder 4 and the scraper holder 5, respectively. The lateral force sensor 8 and the scraping force sensor 9 are fixedly installed on the test piece slide 6 and the scraper slide 7, respectively. A test piece 1, with dotted artificial calculus 11, rod-shaped artificial calculus 12, or sheet-shaped artificial calculus 13 adhered to one side of its surface, is detachably fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor 8. The scraper 2 is detachably fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor 9. The scraper 2 driving device can drive the scraper slide... The reciprocating movement of the stage 7 feeds the scraper 2 to the initial scraping position of the artificial calculus on the test piece 1 or to a position away from the test piece 1. The test piece 1 driving device can drive the test piece slide 6 to reciprocate to scrape the artificial calculus on the test piece 1. The lateral force sensor 8 can sense the lateral force of the blade 221 of the scraper 2 contacting the artificial calculus on the test piece 1. The scraping force sensor 9 can sense the scraping force of the blade 221 of the scraper 2 during the scraping of the artificial calculus. The lateral force sensor 8 and the scraping force sensor 9 are respectively connected to the control system via wired or wireless connection to transmit sensing data. The control system can convert the data detected by the lateral force sensor 8 and the scraping force sensor 9 into force curves, and output them to the outside by the data output device for judging and selecting the scraping situation of artificial calculus of different materials and shapes. The control system can also control the start and stop of the test piece 1 driving device and the scraper 2 driving device.

[0080] In use, artificial calculus material is coated onto a square substrate in a specified shape to create a test piece 1. Artificial calculus can be in sheet-like, square, dot-like, or rod-like (or strip-like) shapes, basically covering all the basic attachment forms of natural calculus on human teeth. Various thicknesses are available for testing. The test piece 1 is fixedly mounted on the lateral force sensor 8. The scraper 2 is used to simulate the working end of the periodontal scaling head. The scraper 2 is fixedly mounted on the scraping force sensor 9. The scraper 2 drive device drives the scraper slide 7 to move so that the blade 221 of the scraper 2 reaches one end of the artificial calculus on the test piece 1 along the scraping direction. Then, the scraper 2... The drive device drives the test piece slide 6 to move, causing the test piece 1 to move relative to the scraper 2. This allows the blade 221 of the scraper 2 to scrape away the artificial tartar on the test piece 1. During the simulation test, the scraper 2 drive device is activated first. The scraper 2 drive device drives the blade 221 of the scraper 2 to approach and press against the surface of the test piece 1 to the left. When the contact force between the two is 15-25g (this force is sensed by the lateral force sensor 8), the controller sends a command to activate the test piece 1 drive device, allowing the test piece 1 to move downwards and begin the process of scraping away the artificial tartar. During the scraping process, the scraping force is read (this force is sensed and read by the scraping force sensor 9).

[0081] The force sensor 9 senses the force of the scraper 2 scraping the artificial calculus on the test piece 1 in the up-down direction and transmits the electrical signal generated by the force to the controller. The lateral force sensor 8 senses the lateral component force generated when the scraper blade 22 scrapes the artificial calculus on the test piece 1 in the up-down direction and transmits the electrical signal generated by the force to the controller.

[0082] This invention, when testing the force applied during the removal of artificial calculus, not only measures the force in the scraping direction but also detects the lateral force during scraping. This is because many types of calculus, due to their inherent toughness, deform under stress during contact with the scraping blade, pressing laterally against the substrate and generating significant lateral force. The relative movement of the test piece 1 and the 22-blade scraper can be programmed based on real-time force data from two force sensors, offering a degree of freedom and allowing for the simulation of different dentist techniques, thus enabling more comprehensive testing.

[0083] The test piece holder 4 extends vertically, the scraper holder 5 extends horizontally, and the test piece holder 4 and the scraper holder 5 intersect vertically to form an L-shaped structure. The test piece 1 is fixed to the lateral force sensor 8 extending vertically, and the scraper 2 can slide horizontally to the area directly below the artificial calculus on the test piece 1.

[0084] The test piece holder 4 is mounted on a vertical guide rail 41 extending in the vertical direction, and the scraper holder 5 is mounted on a horizontal guide rail 51 extending in the horizontal direction. The test piece slide 6 and the scraper slide 7 are slidably mounted on the vertical guide rail 41 and the horizontal guide rail 51, respectively. The test piece 1 driving device includes a first motor 42 and a first lead screw 43, and the scraper 2 driving device includes a second motor 52 and a second lead screw 53. The first lead screw 43 and the second lead screw 53 are rotatably mounted on the test piece holder 4 and the scraper holder 5, respectively. The first motor 42 and the second motor 52 drive the first lead screw 43 and the second lead screw 53 to rotate, respectively. The first lead screw 43 is movably screwed to the test piece slide, and the second lead screw 53 is movably screwed to the scraper slide 7. In this example, the first motor 42 and the second motor 52 are both closed-loop stepper motors, but servo motors can also be used.

[0085] It also includes a test piece positioning device and a scraper positioning device, wherein:

[0086] The test piece 1 positioning device includes a test piece clamp 81, test piece pressing blocks 82, and test piece locking screws 83. The test piece clamp 81 is fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor 8. A test piece 1 mounting groove is formed on the side surface of the test piece clamp 81 facing away from the lateral force sensor 8. Taking the side of the test piece 1 with artificial calculus as the front, the opposite side of the test piece 1 can be inserted into the test piece 1 mounting groove. The depth of the test piece 1 mounting groove is less than the thickness of the test piece 1. The two test piece pressing blocks 82 can be fixedly installed on the side surface of the test piece clamp 81 facing away from the lateral force sensor 8 by the test piece locking screws 83. The two test piece pressing blocks 82 can press the two sides of the front of the test piece 1 in the test piece 1 mounting groove to achieve pressing and fixing of the test piece 1. The test piece 1 positioning device consists of a test piece clamp 81, two test piece pressing blocks 82, and two test piece locking screws 83. Test piece 1 is placed in the test piece clamp 81, within the test piece 1 mounting slot (square slot) of the correct size, and held in place by two test piece pressure blocks 82. Two test piece locking screws 83 pass through the test piece pressure blocks 82 and are threadedly connected to the test piece clamp 81 for locking. The test piece pressure blocks 82 press and fix the test piece 1 onto the test piece clamp 81. The test piece clamp 81 is assembled and fixed with a lateral force sensor 8 installed vertically. In this example, the test piece 1 mounting slot (square slot) of the test piece clamp 81 has only two countersunk holes for installing flat-head screws, which are used to fix the test piece 1 onto the lateral force sensor 8.

[0087] The scraper positioning device includes a scraper fixing block 91 and a scraper locking screw 92. The scraper fixing block 91 can be fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor 9. A scraper 2 slot is formed on the surface of the scraper fixing block 91. If the side where the blade 221 of the scraper 2 is located is the front, then the side opposite to the front is the back. The back of the scraper 2 can be inserted into the scraper 2 slot. The scraper 2 is provided with a fixing through hole. The bottom surface of the scraper 2 slot is provided with a scraper 2 locking thread hole. The scraper locking screw 92 can pass through the fixing through hole on the scraper 2 and screw into the scraper 2 locking thread hole on the bottom surface of the scraper 2 slot to achieve fixed positioning of the scraper 2 on the scraper fixing block 91.

[0088] The scraper 2 is fixed to the scraper mounting block 91 by a special screw for lathe tools. In this example, the scraper 2 has two 2mm wide blades 221 on opposite sides, and either blade 221 can be installed facing the test piece 1. That is, if one blade 221 wears out after long-term testing, it can be reversed 180 degrees and the other blade 221 can be used, which can reduce testing costs. The scraper mounting block 91 is then installed on the scraping force sensor 9 by two screws.

[0089] The scraper 2 includes a scraper body 21 and a scraper blade 22. The scraper blade 22 is integrally formed and protrudes from at least one side wall of the scraper body 21. The scraper blade 22 has a sharp blade edge 221 with gradually thinning thickness at the edge facing the front of the scraper 2. The scraper 2 has a locking thread hole on the scraper body 21.

[0090] It is very difficult to manufacture a scraper 2 that perfectly replicates the working end shape of a periodontal scaling head. This invention uses a lathe insert commonly used in the machining industry to simulate the working end of the periodontal scaling head. The insert used in this example is a Mitsubishi SOET12T308PEER-JL-VP30RT. Two 2mm cutting edges are left on opposite sides of this insert through wire cutting, a width that matches the width of the working end of the periodontal scaling head. The selected insert material is cemented carbide, which is highly wear-resistant and tough. Even with very frequent tests removing artificial calculus, the cutting edge 221 will not be damaged, meaning no tool replacement is necessary. By using the aforementioned scraper 2 to simulate the working end of the periodontal scaling head, it is far more durable than an actual periodontal scaling device, significantly reducing testing costs and avoiding the need to replace the periodontal scaling device after each test, effectively lowering testing costs.

[0091] The scraper body 21 is a frustum structure with a front dimension larger than the back dimension, and the scraper body 21 is a block structure that is symmetrical in front and back and left and right. Two scraper blades 22 are symmetrically arranged on the front and back side walls of the scraper body 21, and the scraper blades 22 form the blade edge 221 together through the inclined side and the concave arc front.

[0092] The scraper 2 adopts a frustum structure to avoid interference between the side wall of the scraper body 21 and the test piece 1 when the scraper body 21 scrapes away artificial calculus with the blade 221 of the scraper 2.

[0093] It also includes a lateral force sensor fixing block 61, a lateral force sensor raising block 62, and a scraping force sensor raising block 71. The lateral force sensor fixing block 61 is fixedly installed on the test piece slide 6, the lateral force sensor raising block 62 is fixedly installed on the surface of the lateral force sensor fixing block 61 facing the scraper fixing frame 5, the lower end of the lateral force sensor 8 is fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor raising block 62, and the test piece 1 is fixedly installed on the other side of the upper end of the lateral force sensor 8. The scraping force sensor raising block 71 is fixedly installed on the scraper slide 7, the lower side of one end of the scraping force sensor 9 is fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor raising block 71, and the scraper 2 is fixedly installed on the upper side of the other end of the scraping force sensor 9. The scraping force sensor 9 is installed on the scraper slide 7 via a scraping force sensor shim 71 and two screws; the lateral force sensor 8 is connected and fixed to the lateral force sensor fixing block 61 via a lateral force sensor shim 62 and two screws, and the lateral force sensor fixing block 61 is then connected and fixed to the test piece slide 6 via screws.

[0094] This ensures that the end of the scraper 2 installed on the force sensor 9 and the end of the test piece 1 installed on the lateral force sensor 8 are both suspended in the air, providing a certain degree of elasticity. This allows for accurate detection of the scraping force and avoids the influence of the fixed support of the scraper slide 7 and the test piece slide 6.

[0095] A method for testing the adhesion performance of artificial dental calculus, the specific steps of which are as follows:

[0096] 1) First, prepare the test subject:

[0097] a) To observe and test the adhesion of artificial tartar to the surface of melamine model teeth, a thermosetting injection molding process is generally used to form the substrate. To observe and test the adhesion of artificial tartar to epoxy resin model teeth, a casting process is generally used to form the substrate.

[0098] b) Subsequently, artificial calculus is coated onto the substrate. There are two methods for coating: one is to add liquid artificial calculus into a mold and then place the substrate in it, allowing it to solidify and form directly; the other is to use a jig to define the coating outline and coat it layer by layer manually. This embodiment uses the latter method because it is consistent with the layer-by-layer accumulation of natural calculus.

[0099] 2) Secure the scraper to the scraper mounting block with a scraper locking screw (a screw specifically for lathe blades). The scraper mounting block is then secured to the scraping force sensor with two screws. During installation, the 2mm wide blade of the scraper should face towards the test piece. The scraping force sensor is fixed to the scraper slide, which is movably screwed onto a horizontally moving lead screw, via a scraping force sensor shim.

[0100] 3) Fix the test piece clamp to the lateral force sensor with flat-head screws, and then clamp and fix the test piece with the test piece clamp and test piece pressure block locked by the test piece locking screw. The lateral force sensor is fixed to the test piece slide table that is screwed to the vertical direction through the lateral force sensor shim block and the lateral force sensor fixing block.

[0101] 4) The dental calculus of the test piece with sheet-like artificial calculus is rectangular and can be installed horizontally or vertically. The only difference between the two installation methods is the time taken to generate the final stress curve.

[0102] 5) Test pieces for punctate and rod-shaped artificial calculus combine two shapes onto a single piece. When installed vertically, the scraper blade is positioned at the bottom center of the test piece, testing the force exerted when scraping away punctate calculus. When installed horizontally, the rod-shaped calculus lies horizontally, testing the force exerted when scraping it across the entire piece. Because the punctate and rod-shaped artificial calculus are symmetrically designed, rotating the test piece 180 degrees allows for two identical tests, saving on test piece fabrication work.

[0103] 6) At the start of the program, the second motor starts first. In this embodiment, the scraper gradually moves to the left. When the blade of the scraper contacts the substrate of the test piece and the force measured by the lateral force sensor is between 15 and 25g, the first motor starts, driving the test piece downwards, thus beginning the process of the scraper removing artificial tartar. In this example, the scraper is detected every 0.1mm of movement. The two force sensors detect the force data during the scraping process. The front force sensor senses the force of the scraper scraping the artificial tartar, while the lateral force sensor senses the lateral component of the force generated when the tartar deforms and bends during the scraping process. After the two sets of force data are read, two curves can be generated on the computer. Analyzing the force curves generated by different substrate materials and artificial tartar material combinations is of great significance for the selection and development of simulation materials.

Claims

1. An instrument for testing the adhesion performance of artificial dental calculus, characterized in that: The instrument includes a scraper (2), an instrument base (3), a test piece holder (4), a scraper holder (5), a test piece slide (6), a scraper slide (7), a lateral force sensor (8), a scraping force sensor (9), a test piece drive device, a scraper drive device, a control system, and a data output device. The test piece holder and the scraper holder are fixedly installed on the instrument base. The test piece slide and the scraper slide are slidably installed on the test piece holder and the scraper holder, respectively. The lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor are fixedly installed on the test piece slide and the scraper slide, respectively. Test pieces with dotted artificial calculus (11), rod-shaped artificial calculus (12), or sheet-shaped artificial calculus (13) adhered to one side of the surface are detachably fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor. The scraper is detachably fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor. The scraper drive device can drive the scraper. The reciprocating movement of the scraper slide allows the scraper to be fed to the initial scraping position of the artificial calculus on the test piece or to a position away from the test piece. The test piece drive device can drive the test piece slide to reciprocate to scrape the artificial calculus on the test piece. The lateral force sensor can sense the lateral force when the blade of the scraper contacts the artificial calculus on the test piece. The scraping force sensor can sense the scraping force during the scraping process of the blade of the scraper. The lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor are respectively connected to the control system via wired or wireless connection to transmit the sensing data. The control system can convert the data detected by the lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor into a force curve, and output it to the outside of the data output device for judging and selecting the scraping situation of artificial calculus of different materials and shapes. The control system can also control the start and stop of the test piece drive device and the scraper drive device.

2. The artificial calculus adhesion performance tester according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test piece holder extends vertically, the scraper holder extends horizontally, and the test piece holder and the scraper holder intersect vertically to form an L-shaped structure. The test piece is fixed to the lateral force sensor as it extends vertically, and the scraper can slide horizontally to the area directly below the artificial calculus on the test piece.

3. The artificial calculus adhesion performance tester according to claim 2, characterized in that: The test piece holder is provided with a vertical guide rail (41) extending in the vertical direction, and the scraper holder is provided with a horizontal guide rail (51) extending in the horizontal direction. The test piece slide and the scraper slide are slidably mounted on the vertical guide rail and the horizontal guide rail, respectively. The test piece driving device includes a first motor (42) and a first lead screw (43), and the scraper driving device includes a second motor (52) and a second lead screw (53). The first lead screw and the second lead screw are rotatably mounted on the test piece holder and the scraper holder, respectively. The first motor and the second motor drive the first lead screw and the second lead screw to rotate, respectively. The first lead screw is movably screwed to the test piece slide, and the second lead screw is movably screwed to the scraper slide.

4. The artificial calculus adhesion performance tester according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a test piece positioning device and a scraper positioning device, among which: The test piece positioning device includes a test piece clamp (81), a test piece pressing block (82), and a test piece locking screw (83). The test piece clamp is fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor. A test piece mounting groove is formed on one side surface of the test piece clamp facing away from the lateral force sensor. If the side of the test piece with artificial calculus is the front, then the back side of the side opposite the front can be inserted into the test piece mounting groove. The depth of the test piece mounting groove is less than the thickness of the test piece. Two test piece pressing blocks can be fixedly installed on the side surface of the test piece clamp facing away from the lateral force sensor by the test piece locking screw. The two test piece pressing blocks can press the two sides of the front side of the test piece in the test piece mounting groove to achieve pressing and fixing of the test piece. The scraper positioning device includes a scraper fixing block (91) and a scraper locking screw (92). The scraper fixing block can be fixedly installed on the scraper force sensor. A scraper slot is formed on the surface of the scraper fixing block. If the side where the scraper blade is located is the front side, then the side opposite to the front side is the back side. The back side of the scraper can be inserted into the scraper slot. The scraper is provided with a fixing through hole. The bottom surface of the scraper slot is provided with a scraper locking thread hole. The scraper locking screw can pass through the fixing through hole on the scraper and screw into the scraper locking thread hole on the bottom surface of the scraper slot to realize the fixed positioning of the scraper on the scraper fixing block.

5. The artificial calculus adhesion performance tester according to claim 4, characterized in that: The scraper includes a scraper body (21) and a scraper blade (22). The scraper blade is integrally formed and protrudes from at least one side wall of the scraper body. The scraper blade forms a sharp blade (221) with gradually thinning edge facing the front of the scraper. The scraper locking thread hole is provided on the scraper body.

6. The artificial calculus adhesion performance tester according to claim 5, characterized in that: The scraper body is a frustum structure with a front dimension larger than the back dimension, and the scraper body is a block structure that is symmetrical in front and back and left and right. Two scraper blades are symmetrically arranged on the front and back side walls of the scraper body, and the scraper blades form the cutting edge through the inclined side and the concave arc front.

7. The artificial calculus adhesion performance tester according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a lateral force sensor fixing block (61), a lateral force sensor raising block (62), and a scraping force sensor raising block (71). The lateral force sensor fixing block is fixedly installed on the test piece slide, and the lateral force sensor raising block is fixedly installed on the surface of the lateral force sensor fixing block facing the scraper fixing frame. The lower end of the lateral force sensor is fixedly installed on the lateral force sensor raising block, and the test piece is fixedly installed on the other side of the upper end of the lateral force sensor. The scraping force sensor raising block is fixedly installed on the scraper slide, and the lower side of one end of the scraping force sensor is fixedly installed on the scraping force sensor raising block. The scraper is fixedly installed on the upper side of the other end of the scraping force sensor.

8. A method for testing the adhesion performance of artificial dental calculus using the artificial dental calculus adhesion performance tester described in claims 1-7, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step 1: Prepare the test sample: (1) First, form a thin sheet-shaped test substrate according to the design dimensions (14); (2) Apply artificial tartar coating to the surface of the test substrate according to the design dimensions, and wait for the artificial tartar coating to cure to form artificial tartar with the design dimensions and shape; Step 2: Install the scraper: (1) First, insert the scraper into the scraper slot of the scraper fixing block, and then fix the scraper and the scraper fixing block together by the scraper locking screw to form a whole; (2) Secure the scraper fixing block with the scraper to the scraping force sensor with screws, and make the blade of the scraper face the test piece installation direction; Step 3: Install the test piece: First, secure the test piece clamp to the lateral force sensor with screws. Then, insert the test piece prepared in step one into the test piece mounting slot of the test piece clamp. Use the test piece locking screws to lock the two test piece pressure blocks to both sides of the test piece clamp. Clamping the left and right sides of the test piece will fix the test piece on the test piece clamp. Step 4: Press the start switch of the artificial calculus adhesion performance tester. The scraper drive device starts first. The scraper moves towards the test piece with the scraper slide. When the blade of the scraper contacts the surface of the test piece and the force measured by the lateral force sensor is 15-25g, the test piece drive device starts. The test piece begins to move down with the test piece slide. The scraper scrapes away the artificial calculus. Every time the test piece moves 0.1mm, the lateral force sensor and the scraping force sensor transmit force sensing data to the control system once. Step 5: The control system draws force curves for the force received from the scraping force sensor (for scraping artificial calculus head-on) and the lateral force received from the lateral force sensor (for the artificial calculus deforming and bending during scraping), and outputs them to the outside via the data output device. Step Six: By analyzing the force curves generated from scraping artificial calculus of different shapes formed by different artificial calculus materials on substrates made of different materials, the adhesion ability of various artificial calculus materials in different shapes on the tooth surface of different materials is determined. Based on the analysis data, a reasonable artificial calculus material is selected and applied to the tooth surface of different materials to form simulated artificial calculus.

9. The method for testing the adhesion performance of artificial dental calculus according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step one, the test substrate is molded using a thermosetting injection molding method; the artificial calculus is coated onto the test substrate using either of the following two methods: Method 1: Mold forming method: Design and manufacture artificial calculus forming mold (10). The artificial calculus forming mold is provided with several combined artificial calculus cavities (101) and sheet-shaped artificial calculus cavities (102). Then, liquid artificial calculus material is poured into the combined artificial calculus cavities and sheet-shaped artificial calculus cavities of the artificial calculus forming mold. Finally, several test piece substrates are covered on the opening surfaces of each combined artificial calculus cavity and sheet-shaped artificial calculus cavity of the artificial calculus forming mold. After the liquid artificial calculus material is solidified on the surface of the test piece substrate, the artificial calculus forming mold is removed to obtain several test pieces with dot-shaped and rod-shaped artificial calculus as well as test pieces with sheet-shaped artificial calculus. Method 2: Manual coating method: Design and manufacture a coating fixture that can be fixed and positioned with the test substrate and form a coating contour restriction structure on the surface of the test substrate. Then, manually coat the artificial tartar material layer by layer. During coating, each layer of artificial tartar material is cured before the next layer is coated, until the artificial tartar is accumulated on the surface of the test substrate to the designed thickness.

10. The method for testing the adhesion performance of artificial dental calculus according to claim 8, characterized in that: The test piece formed in step one is basically a square sheet structure. The sheet-like artificial dentistry is a rectangular artificial dentistry piece with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm located at the center of the test piece substrate. Two dot-shaped artificial dentistry pieces with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm and two rod-shaped artificial dentistry pieces with a thickness of 0.3-1 mm are distributed on the same test piece substrate surface. The two dot-shaped artificial dentistry pieces are symmetrically spaced vertically around the center of the test piece substrate, and the two rod-shaped artificial dentistry pieces are symmetrically distributed to the left and right sides of the two dot-shaped artificial dentistry pieces around the center of the test piece substrate. The rod-shaped artificial dentistry pieces are arranged in a symmetrical manner around the center of the test piece substrate. The test piece extends along the direction of the two dot-shaped artificial calculus points on the test substrate. During testing, the test piece with square artificial calculus points is installed horizontally or vertically to obtain two sets of force curves with different time consumption. After one test with the test piece with dot-shaped and rod-shaped artificial calculus points installed vertically, it is rotated 180 degrees and tested again to obtain two sets of force curves for scraping dot-shaped artificial calculus points. After one test with the test piece with dot-shaped and rod-shaped artificial calculus points installed horizontally, it is rotated 180 degrees and tested again to obtain two sets of force curves for scraping rod-shaped artificial calculus points.

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