In dentistry, a typodont is a model of the oral cavity, including teeth, gingiva, and the palate. A typodont is an educational tool for dental and hygienist students, allowing them to safely practice certain dental procedures on the plastic teeth of a model before actually performing the procedures on live patients.
History
Typodonts have been used in clinical settings since the late 1800s. They are widely commercially available.
Generally, typodonts have replaceable, screw-in teeth that are composed of materials that allow students to drill cavity preparations and fill them with restorative material, such as amalgam or composite, or prepare the plastic teeth for crowns and bridges. Starting around the 2020s, researchers have begun to investigate the possibility of using 3D printing to create typodonts that more closely mimic human teeth in appearance, internal anatomy and haptic response.
References
- Gehrig, Jill S.; Sroda, Rebecca; Saccuzzo, Darlene (21 May 2020). Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation and Advanced Root Instrumentation, Enhanced. Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN 9781284224597. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- Cresswell-Boyes, A.J.; Barber, A.H.; Mills, D.; Tatla, A.; Davis, G.R. (2018). "Approaches to 3D printing teeth from X-ray microtomography". Journal of Microscopy. 272 (3): 207–212. doi:10.1111/jmi.12725. PMID 29953620. S2CID 49593390.
- Reymus, M.; Fotiadou, C.; Kessler, A.; Heck, K.; Hickel, R.; Diegritz, C. (2019). "3D printed replicas for endodontic education". International Endodontic Journal. 52 (1): 123–130. doi:10.1111/iej.12964. PMID 29900562.
- Cresswell-Boyes, A. J.; Davis, G. R.; Krishnamoorthy, M.; Mills, D.; Barber, A. H. (12 May 2022). "Composite 3D printing of biomimetic human teeth". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 7830. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-11658-y. PMC 9098645. PMID 35550557.