Nose-Mounted Deflector Shield for Dental Eyewear Gap Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
During dental procedures, patients are exposed to airborne fine-size particulate debris and projectiles that can harm their eyes through gaps between their cheeks and the lower rims of protective eyewear, leading to potential infection and injury.
Innovation Solution
A patient safety shield is designed to be worn across the nose, featuring a flexible and compressible material with a deflector shield that folds to conform to the nose and cheeks, effectively closing the gaps between the eyewear and cheeks, deflecting potential hazards away from the eyes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard protective eyewear is used during dental procedures, then basic eye protection is provided, but gaps remain between the eyewear and patient's cheeks allowing airborne debris to reach the eyes
Solution Approach 1:
The protective system is divided into two segments: standard protective eyewear and an additional safety shield. The safety shield is a separate component that attaches to the eyewear and provides additional coverage for the gaps between the eyewear and patient's cheeks, eliminating the need to redesign the entire eyewear system.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety shield extends the protection into a new dimensional space by adding a lower barrier that covers the gap area between the eyewear and cheeks. This additional dimensional layer blocks the path of airborne debris that would otherwise reach the eyes through the gaps.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a safety shield is added to close gaps, then protection against airborne debris is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety shield is merged with the existing protective eyewear through attachment mechanisms such as elastic bands or clips. This combining approach allows the safety shield to function as part of the eyewear system without requiring a completely new complex device, thus improving protection while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety shield is constructed from flexible materials that can conform to the patient's facial contours. This flexibility allows the shield to adapt to different face shapes and sizes without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms, thereby providing effective gap closure while maintaining simplicity in the device structure.
3Reliability
If a rigid shield is used to close gaps, then protection effectiveness is improved, but comfort and adaptability to different face shapes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The safety shield utilizes flexible material that can be molded or bent to match the patient's unique facial contours. This flexibility enables the shield to adapt to various face shapes and sizes, providing a customized fit that maintains protection effectiveness across different patients without requiring multiple rigid sizes or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the safety shield, particularly its flexibility and conformability, are optimized to allow it to adapt to different face geometries. By changing the material properties to be more pliable, the shield can be shaped to fit individual patients while still providing reliable protection when in place.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient safety shield, and its method of use, features a deflector shield that closes gaps between the bottom profile of safety eyewear worn by the patient and the patient's cheek area. The deflector shield, when positioned, oriented, and profiled across the bridge of the patients nose and under the patient's eyewear , deflects fine infectious and or injurious debris, which originates in the patient's oral cavity, from being ejected off moving parts of dental tools during a dental procedure. The deflection by the deflector shield prevents potentially infectious or injurious debris from reaching and harming the eyes of the patient that may enter through the bottom gaps.