開閉口訓練ロボットの開発ならびに下顎運動障害の理学療法に関する総合的研究

抄録

Medical robotics, or the application of robots in the medical field, has become a focus of attention. We have attempted to introduce robotic engineering into the field of dentistry and stomatology, under the name “dental robotics ”, to develop a new area of robotic treatment. In the present study, we focused on physical therapy for mandibular movement disor-ders. Our purpose is to integrate dental medicine with robotic engineering and establish a new objective diagnostic and therapeutic approach as a quantitative system with a high degree of reproducibility. Since 1995, in collaboration with the Department of Mechani cal Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, we have been promoting a joint research project to develop the Waseda Yamanashi Series, a series of robots for training in jaw opening and closing using the mechanism of the “Waseda Jaw” (1986), a masticatory robot which reproduces the human physiological mandibular movement under computer control. As a medical system which enables objective and quantitative evaluation, the Waseda Yamanashi Series has been clinically applied to many cases and its further improvement and development is proceeding. We have used this robot system clinically for training in mouth opening and closing to make a comprehensive study of mandibular movement disor ders, and reported the results.