Effect of microgravity on the feasibility and accuracy of dental procedures.

Abstract

Developing effective countermeasures against oral health risks is essential for long-duration space missions. This study evaluated the feasibility of performing restorative dentistry procedures in a microgravity environment. A parabolic flight campaign aboard the Airbus A310 was conducted through the ESA Academy Experiments programme. The campaign included 90 parabolas over 3 days, each providing ~22 s of microgravity. Two senior dentistry students performed 72 caries preparations and 36 composite restorations on artificial teeth in three environments: ground, microgravity, and steady flight. Accuracy was evaluated using computer-aided 2D image analysis for preparation errors and 3D scanning for restoration errors. Statistical analysis using two-way ANOVA revealed no significant impact of environmental conditions on preparation (p = 0.623) or restoration (p = 0.139) accuracy, although operator differences were observed. These findings indicate that microgravity does not significantly impair the accuracy of restorative dentistry procedures, highlighting the potential to expand dental treatment in space.