Local Fabrication of Multipurpose Bronze Dental Flask and Clamps to Improve on Local Fabricated Aluminum Products
Abstract:
This research work was aimed at fabrication of a multipurpose bronze dental flask and clamp locally, and specifically to achieve an improvement on the imported ones. The research work was carried out at the foundry and machine shop in the Centre for Industrial Studies workshop at Lagos State polytechnic Ikorodu between march and august, 2024, using pure bronze materials that gave high quality to the products. This study adopted quasi-experimental design in which the flask and clamp was designed and fabricated using bronze raw materials, mild steel and copper using imported flask/clamp as the control variable. In other to achieve the objective of this study, pure bronze was used for the complete work e.g for base, flasks and clamps. The result showed that bronze raw materials can easily be sourced for the fabrication of most instruments in dental technology. To this effect, the bronze dental flask and clamps products was achieved and it was rated excellence by dental technology professionals in the department which also indicated that this product was accepted in the field of dentistry precisely in dental technology practice. The efficiency and functionality also were proved using the products for flasking complete and partial acrylic dentures which actually gave accuracy results of what required. Therefore, the result was far better than aluminum products fabricated in the past by senior dental technology students in the department. Then, in comparison with the bronze imported ones, this product was rated replica to the imported ones. Based on the results of this innovative work, the researchers recommended that the department should liaise with polytechnic management to support the students on innovative research works, since innovative research work is a key to improve dental technology profession in Nigeria.
