High-tech hygiene

IRL research engineer Paul Harris has a long-standing research partnership with Spark Dental Technology—a company specialising in software and new technology for the dental profession.

Spark Dental's smart mirror pointer enables better hygiene and interfaces with electronic patient record management systems.

IRL, with its strong engineering skills, is able to refine Spark’s first prototype hardware to work with software developed by Spark. Together Spark and IRL are able to provide new tools for dentists to give better service to their patients.

It was while working on dentistry tools with Spark that the topic of a new product overcoming hygiene issues arose.  "During examinations, the dentists use instruments that have undergone sterilisation and they wear gloves,” Spark Managing Director Paul Weatherly says.

“Increasingly, patient records and X-rays are computerised, but to access the data the dentist needs to use the computer mouse or keyboard—and that immediately raises hygiene problems."

Working together, Spark and IRL have developed a dental mirror that the dentist uses during examinations and, with some clever electronics, also acts as a computer input device.

Dental records and charting software are controlled by gesturing."The dentist doesn’t need to take the mirror out of the patient’s mouth. If they see a problem or potential problem they can note it on the patient’s dental chart immediately.

They can review previous treatment records for a specific tooth or pull up previous X-rays or intra-oral images on screen,” Weatherly says. The mirror pointer, as it is known, is also capable of communicating bi-directionally so it could, for example, be used to alert the dentist  to a patient arriving in reception.

The mirror pointer has other advantages. It is plastic rather than steel so is very light, with a good balance and feel.

The mirror is made as part of a cover, which can be thrown away if it becomes scratched or damaged. Full sterility management is attainable via the mirror and its cover while the electronics are protected and do not need to be sterilised.

The tool is currently being trialled by some dentists and demonstrated to others. Spark is also approaching global supply companies since it believes this is a tool that will have global appeal. 

Harris says it is a good example of how having close links with businesses can make all the difference when introducing new high-tech products that provide new economic opportunities for New Zealand companies and the economy as a whole.

“Spark and IRL, working together, have rapidly developed a product that meets a real need.”