Perpendicular Spatula Forceps for Membrane Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing forceps are inadequate for precise placement of membranes during regenerative osseous surgery due to membrane folding issues in narrow spaces, particularly in flapless and less invasive procedures, and are also challenging for placing other flat, flexible materials like autogenous connective tissue grafts.
Innovation Solution
A forceps design featuring a pair of arms with a forceps tip and a thin, spatula arm where the spatula is oriented perpendicular to the gripping plane, forming a concave trough to securely hold membranes, allowing for customized geometry and shape to accommodate various surgical sites, and can be used for both membrane placement and other flexible materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional forceps are used to place membranes in narrow spaces, then the forceps can access tight surgical sites, but the membrane corners fold up and over toward the periostium causing improper placement
Solution Approach 1:
The spatula is oriented substantially perpendicular to the gripping plane, creating a three-dimensional configuration that prevents membrane corners from folding upward. This perpendicular orientation allows the membrane to be held flat between the tip and spatula face, resolving the placement accuracy issue while maintaining simple forceps arm structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The spatula face is made concave to form a trough that specifically cradles the membrane corners. This localized geometric modification at the spatula face provides targeted support precisely where membrane folding occurs, improving placement accuracy without requiring complex modifications to the entire forceps structure.
2Reliability
If the spatula is oriented perpendicular to the gripping plane, then membrane folding is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spatula extends perpendicular to the gripping plane, utilizing the third dimension to prevent membrane folding. This orientation allows the membrane to be secured in a stable, folded-free state while the perpendicular configuration integrates naturally with the forceps arm structure, minimizing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spatula face is concave, forming a curved trough that naturally cradles the membrane. This curvature provides inherent stability and reliability for membrane placement, while the simple concave geometry avoids complex mechanical structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing forceps are used for placing flat flexible materials, then the forceps can perform general surgical tasks, but they cannot prevent folding of flat materials in narrow spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps design with the perpendicular spatula and concave trough configuration can handle both membranes and other flat flexible materials such as connective tissue grafts. This universal design improves ease of operation for various flat materials while maintaining the folding prevention capability through the unique spatula geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
A dental membrane placement forceps which includes a thin spatula on the tip of one arm of the forceps. The spatula has a concave inward face juxtaposed the tip on the opposing forceps arm and is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the opposing forceps tips move inward toward one another to grip the object (i.e., the gripping plane). The concave inward face of the spatula is concave in one direction. The forceps is useful for placing flat, flexible materials such as a membrane used for regenerative osseous surgery in dentistry.