French startup Dentalax has launched an RFID-based system to reduce errors and improve productivity in the development of dental prosthetics such as crowns and bridges.

With the Dentalax RFID system a dental lab can cut the time taken to accurately process each item, by apprx. three minutes per job (which could save up to 45 minutes each day.)

A dentist makes an initial cast of the teeth and sends it to the lab. There, technicians use the initial cast to make a second cast, called die, that will be used to create the bridge or crown. Before the second cast hardens, a chip is embedded into it. Throughout the prosthesis manufacturing process, each time an operation is carried out, the action is recorded on the chip by the technician using a PC fitted with a RFID reader: the tag will feature the date, the name of the operator and the materials employed including their lot numbers, which can identify the date of manufacturing and the materials used.

Before delivering the prosthesis to the dentist, the lab retrieves the data contained in the die’s RFID chip and copies to a smart card also fitted with a PicoPass chip. The dentist can then pass on to the patient.

Via RFID Journal.