Methods of immobilizing the head of a patient include heating a thermoplastic mask preform to a formable temperature, forming the thermoplastic mask over at least a mouth of the patient, and pushing a mouth receiving end of a bite piece into a portion of the thermoplastic mask preform that is positioned over the mouth of the patient, which moves the portion of the thermoplastic mask preform into the mouth of the patient. The methods also include allowing the thermoplastic mask preform to cool from the formable temperature, causing the portion of the thermoplastic mask moved into the mouth of the patient to harden.

Methods of immobilizing the head of a patient include heating a thermoplastic mask preform to a formable temperature, forming the thermoplastic mask over at least a mouth of the patient, and pushing a mouth receiving end of a bite piece into a portion of the thermoplastic mask preform that is positioned over the mouth of the patient, which moves the portion of the thermoplastic mask preform into the mouth of the patient. The methods also include allowing the thermoplastic mask preform to cool from the formable temperature, causing the portion of the thermoplastic mask moved into the mouth of the patient to harden.

A bite block with inclined surfaces fits between a patient's upper and lower jaws to hold them apart and fixes the bite block position relative to the jaws. A support plate slides relative to the bite block to position a needle guide on the support plate along an axis of the support plate. A position stop on the support plate contacts the anterior border of the Ramus of the patient's mandible to position the needle guide along the axis. A syringe needle is guided by the needle guide to a predetermined location to administer anesthetic, preferably to the inferior alveolar nerve as it enters the mandible. The needle guide is inclined to avoid gaging and a tongue depressor attached to the support plate positions the patient's tongue.

Disclosed are an oral fixation device for radiation therapy and an oral fixation method in treatment of a lip cancer. The oral fixation device for radiation therapy includes a first spacer including a first insert inserted between a first lip portion and a first gum portion, and a tooth support coupled to the first spacer at a side of the first spacer disposed inwardly of an oral cavity, wherein teeth or gums of a patient is supported on the tooth support, wherein a first spacer has a specific thickness to maintain a specific spacing between the first lip portion and the first gum portion, wherein the first lip portion includes a treatment target portion to be subjected to the radiation therapy.

Disclosed are an oral fixation device for radiation therapy and an oral fixation method in treatment of a lip cancer. The oral fixation device for radiation therapy includes a first spacer including a first insert inserted between a first lip portion and a first gum portion, and a tooth support coupled to the first spacer at a side of the first spacer disposed inwardly of an oral cavity, wherein teeth or gums of a patient is supported on the tooth support, wherein a first spacer has a specific thickness to maintain a specific spacing between the first lip portion and the first gum portion, wherein the first lip portion includes a treatment target portion to be subjected to the radiation therapy.

An aspiration prevention system may be configured to keep items from moving from a mouth of a patient into a throat of the patient. The system may include a mouth prop, a frame, and an air-permeable barrier. The mouth prop may have a top surface configured to abut top teeth of the mouth, a bottom surface configured to abut bottom teeth of the mouth, and a frame coupling feature. The frame may have a barrier retention feature configured to retain an air-permeable barrier, and a prop coupling feature that is attachable to the frame coupling feature of the mouth prop in a position in which the frame at least partially covers the throat.

A mouthpiece includes an outer portion comprising a first side, a second side, a first pillar coupled to the first side and configured to rotate about a first axis, a second pillar coupled to the second side and configured to rotate about a second axis, a first upper gum support coupled to the first pillar and configured to rotate about a third axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, a first lower gum support coupled to the first pillar and configured to rotate about a fourth axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, a second upper gum support coupled to the second pillar and configured to rotate about a fifth axis that is perpendicular to the second axis, and a second lower gum support coupled to the second pillar and configured to rotate about a sixth axis that is perpendicular to the second axis.

The present disclosure involves object recognition as a method of registration, using a stereoscopic camera on Augmented Reality (AR) glasses or an endoscope as the image capture technology. Exemplary objects include surgical tools, anatomical components or features, such as bone or cartilage, etc. By detecting just a portion of the object in the image data of the surgical scene, the present disclosure may register and track a portion of the patient's anatomy, such as the pelvis, the knee, etc. The present disclosure also optionally displays information on the AR glasses themselves, such as the entire pelvis, the femur, the tibia, etc. The present disclosure may include combinations of the foregoing features, and may eliminate the need for electromagnetic, inertial, or infrared stereoscopic tracking as the tracking technology.

Apparatus for improving image guidance in radiation therapy applications are described. In one aspect, a patient support with integrated radiopaque markers is described. In another aspect, a bite block with integrated sensors, radiopaque markers, or both, is described. The integrated sensors may include a radiation detector, a pH sensor, or both. Radiation detectors that may be used include a dosimeter. As an example, the dosimeter may include a film dosimeter, an ion chamber dosimeter, a diode dosimeter, or other suitable dosimeters and combinations thereof.

An image guidance system for tracking a surgical instrument within the oral cavity. The image guidance system includes a plurality of cameras adapted to be located within the oral cavity to provide intraoral images of optically visible patterns within oral cavity. A processing system receives and processes the intraoral images to recognize patterns and triangulate the locations and orientations of each camera. The processing system uses a reference dataset which defines a reference coordinate system based on alignment to a portion of the oral anatomy. The processing system determines the location and orientation of the tracked instrument based on the reference dataset. In an embodiment, the system includes an oral fixture that is removably attachable to teeth in a patient and is configured to hold one of the cameras.