Research titled “Effectiveness of Hololens Augmented Reality (AR) Headset in Dental Implant Surgery”, helmed by Master’s student Lin Zhiyi (Dentistry), recently clinched the Best Presenter (Talent Discovery Award) at the Oral Reconstruction International Symposium 2024, held in Bangkok between 14-16 November.
Co-supervised by Assoc Prof Bina Rai (Biomedical Engineering), Assoc Prof Alvin Yeo (Dentistry), and Adj Asst Prof Yujia Gao (Medicine), Zhiyi’s research investigates the feasibility of using an AR software prototype to provide more accurate implant placement compared to static surgical guides.
As part of the research, a novel AR-based implant navigation software prototype, named HoloLens Implant Dental software (HIDs), was developed to test its feasibility as an implant surgery navigation aid. The latest prototype of HIDs includes real-time drill tracking, a virtual drill guide, and sphere-based controls to allow refinement of teeth position.
In her research, Zhiyi concludes that the 3D positional accuracy of implants placed into dental models with the aid of HIDs was comparable to that of implants placed with conventional static surgical guides. The application of AR in implant dentistry could offer advantages over current methods, as the surgeon can focus on the surgical site without having to look at a computer screen for navigation.
Commenting on the award, Assoc Prof Bina Rai hails it as an, “Encouraging outcome for interdisciplinary research” as the paper saw collaboration between the faculties of Dentistry, Medicine, and the College of Design and Engineering.
Congratulations to everyone involved for the deserved award!
