The world of computer games is an almost completely separate world from the world of dentistry, although one video game system has a surprising role to play in digital dentistry,

Outside of a few cross-promotional dental products and some very obscure games such as Rex Ronan: Experimental Surgeon, there are not a lot of direct connections, but the failure of one video game system led to the creation of a digital camera.

The Imagin Systems HotRod Deluxe camera system was a 1997 intraoral camera that could provide high-quality images that were saved onto a proprietary memory cartridge.

However, the casing for the camera is several years older than the camera itself, having belonged to the somewhat ill-fated Atari Jaguar video game console.

Initially released in 1993 as the final console to be developed entirely by the company, the Jaguar failed to gain popularity as a mix of supply problems, poor-quality games and a bafflingly aggressive marketing campaign doomed the system before it even started.

After suffering nearly $50m in losses in 1995 and only making money through winning lawsuits, Atari, then run by the Tramiel family who had been a part of computer company Commodore International, merged with JTS Inc. to form JTS Corporation.

This company bought Atari time to liquidate and sell anything that price could be put onto, which included the injection moulding plates used to make the casing for the Atari Jaguar.

At the same time, Steve Mortenson of Imagin Systems came across the moulds and realised that with a few minor adjustments, it could be used to house the company’s HotRod camera.

In a later interview, he said that whilst he liked the design, it was a victim of timing, as the dental industry moved away from bespoke storage formats and towards USB, meaning that it needed to be redesigned again.

However, it remains not only a uniquely desirable item for Atari collectors but also a fascinating example of a dental product with a unique history.