A novel drill-milling technology for robot-assisted implant osteotomy preparation: simulation and an ex vivovalidation study.

OBJECTIVES: Excessive frictional heat generated at the drill-bone interface during implant osteotomy can compromise osseointegration and lead to implant failure. This study's objective was to use a helical milling technique for dental implant osteotomy preparation to mitigate thermal damage to the bone. METHODS: This study introduces a novel helical milling technique designed to minimize thermal damage to bone during dental implant osteotomy preparations. Finite element simulations were conducted to compare the thermal distribution and cutting stress of a conventional twist drill and the newly designed helical drill. The experimental validation was performed ex vivo on animal bone using a robot-assisted osteotomy system. RESULTS: The finite element simulations revealed that the helical drill produced a maximum cutting stress of 128.9 MPa, higher than the 121.0 MPa generated by the twist drill, indicating improved cutting efficiency. The ex vivo study demonstrated that the helical milling technique maintained the drilling site temperature below 38.7 ℃, which was significantly lower than the clinically critical threshold of 47 ℃ and the 61 ℃ recorded with the twist drill. Furthermore, the helical milling process facilitated efficient bone chip removal, reducing thermal buildup. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the helical milling tool and technique optimize robot-assisted osteotomy and effectively mitigate frictional heat generation at the drill-bone interface. This innovation holds promise for enhancing osseointegration success rates in dental implant procedures, offering a clinically viable solution to a long-standing challenge in implantology.