Abstract
It is important for dentists to know the inclination angle of their dental handpieces while they are cutting teeth, to set crowns and bridges after preparation and to minimize axial reduction of the teeth.A new measurement device for the inclination angle of the dental handpiece was developed.The device was designed to measure the two inclination angles of a handpiece in a non-contacting way by using four magnetic coils and three magnetic sensors.The sensor unit was attached to a goniostage and the device was calibrated within a 10cm×10cm area.The influence of the sensor unit position to measured angles was less than 2°, and the device was linear enough in a ±20° range.These findings lead to the conclusion that it is possible to measure the inclination angles of a handpiece magnetically.
