Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Diagnostic & Treatment Artifacts
Classification
Dental
Accession Number
010020117
Description
Rectangular silver metal dental drill unit with rounded edges at top; two round knobs with ridged sides at top, one for water, one for air; three rubber wires, one red, one black, one white, and two black fabric-covered wires come out of black rubber-coverd hole at side; wires are bundled together …
Rectangular silver metal dental drill unit with rounded edges at top; two round knobs with ridged sides at top, one for water, one for air; three rubber wires, one red, one black, one white, and two black fabric-covered wires come out of black rubber-coverd hole at side; wires are bundled together with black and yellow fabric covering and black electrical tape; white and black wires have white plastic ends; two oval cut-outs on other side of unit; black rubber wire with silver metal end comes out metal attachment in top oval; on/off switch beside it
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
Printed on side: "S.S. WHITE // CONTROL FOR OPERATING // AIROTOR HANDPIECE // S.S. WHITE // TRADE MARKS // REG. IN U.S. PAT. OFF. AND ELSEWHERE // MODEL A SERIAL NO. 8498 // VOLTS CYCLES AMPS. WATTS // 110-130 50-60 1 25 // S.S. WHITE DENTAL MFG. CO. // MADE IN U.S.A."; engraved near knobs at top: "INCREASE // AIR"; "INCREASE // WATER"; engraved near switch at side: "ON // OFF"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007-D2-5
Dimension Notes
Length 21.6 cm x Width 19.3 cm x Depth 11.9 cm
Condition Remarks
Fabric covering group of wires fraying; black grease on fabric; knob for water at top no longer spins; knob missing at side
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Book
JPG
Reference Comments
Dr. P. Ralph Crawford; “The development of the dental high-speed air turbine handpiece”, J.E. Dyson and B.W. Darvell, 1993, p. 58
CD #9
Research Facts
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008; this item was donated by George Oterbauer from Toronto, Ontario; it would have been attached to a dental unit, as opposed to standing alone; this was the first Airotor drill unit produced; the Airotor, using a high-speed air turbine system, replaced earlier drills that used a water turbine system; this technology introduced the era of 'sit-down' dentistry due to the high speed (up to 300 000 RPM) of the drill; it is still used in the present day