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Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 3:10 PM
SES 21.6

Novel Diamond Coated Burs for Dental Drilling Applications

M. J. Jackson, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; G. M. Robinson, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN; H. Sein, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom; W. Ahmed, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom; R. Woodwards, North Manchester General Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom

The shaping of organic materials such as teeth and bone is an important function of clinical practice. The quality of drilling and cutting depends on the experience of the clinician and the performance of the cutting tool. Existing drilling and cutting burs are composed of cemented tungsten carbide and cobalt with abrasive particles attached to the bur. We propose improvements that will eliminate the distress experienced by patients during clinical treatment when these types of tools fracture and are lost during treatment. The way of producing tools by acid etching WC-Co burs before coating with diamond weakens the substrate. Therefore, an interlayer will be employed in an attempt to create a tool with the required mechanical strength and adhesion properties that are usually associated with existing diamond burs. The resulting use of an interlayer will produce a bur that will drill better than commercially available burs.

Summary: The shaping of organic materials such as teeth and bone is an important function of clinical practice. Mechanical processing methods such as drilling and cutting are popular techniques for performing such operations. This paper describes developments in t