Dentistry student invents world’s first breathable dental dam
By Rachel Boutet
“It’s more important to be problem-focused than product-focused.” This approach is what led second-year DDS student Arshia Sabet to develop his product, ComfiDam, by ComfiDental Labs Inc., the world’s first breathable dental dam.
The idea first came to Sabet during his first year of dental school when he realized he couldn’t tolerate rubber dams like most patients due to chronic allergies and blocked nasal passages. Traditional rubber dams, used for root canals and often fillings, don’t allow patients to breath through their mouths – something that 40 per cent of the population struggles with as mouth-breathers. He was determined to find a way to make the patient experience more comfortable.
“It’s more important to be problem-focused than product-focused”
“I knew I could create a more breathable dam because similar materials exist in cell phone microphones,” says Sabet. “By embedding a membrane within the dam, it allows airflow while still preventing fluids and dental materials from passing through. Giving patients the ability to breathe through their mouths can also help them relax and decrease any anxiety they might be feeling during their procedure due to shallow breaths.”
Sabet starting working on the prototypes in early 2024 alongside Asra Khonsari, a dental student at the University of Manitoba. That summer, he approached assistant professor, teaching stream, Greg Anderson with the prototype, who validated the problem Sabet was addressing and provided valuable feedback on the placement of the membrane.
After filing for a patent, he was approached by one of the largest dental companies in the world about the product. Sabet is now in the development and fundraising stage and is part of U of T’s Health Innovation Accelerator (H2i), working with the Faculty’s professor Paul Santerre and external advisor Travis Rodgers. He has been supported by two of his classmates, Ali Aghamohammadi, Hareet Sidhu, and Dalhousie University dental student, Sara Arbabzadeh.
Sabet says he has learned a lot as he dips into the world of entrepreneurship, including the patent, safety, and marketing-sides of developing and commercializing a new product. He credits his time so far at the Faculty with providing some key learnings that have helped him as both a student and an owner of a startup.
“One thing I’ve learned in dental school is if you make a mistake, you have to fix it fast,” he says. “I applied the same approach while developing this product – it’s important to be ok with making mistakes, taking feedback and finding the solution.”
As for his advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs, Sabet says to think about the solution that’s needed rather than the invention itself.
“It’s not always important to focus on the product you can make, it’s about focusing on the problem that already exists.”
Top photo: ComfiDam breathable rubber dam (Ali Rezazadeh Shirazi)
