USA

MAX – Immediate Maxillary Molar Implant

Southern Implants have released an implant design to address immediate placement in maxillary molars. The very wide (8-9mm) diameter tapered implant is designed to obliterate the molar extraction socket. The placement of this implant involves the use of a shaping tap to taper the osteotomy. Their implant design features both an external hex as well as an internal connection.

The Baha System, an Osseointegrated Implant for Hearing

The Baha system utilizes direct bone conduction, which allows the bone to transfer sound to a functioning cochlea – thereby bypassing the middle ear. This unique hearing treatment is the only system of its kind cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hearing loss. One reason the Baha system works so well is due to its simple design. The Baha system combines a sound processor with an abutment and a small titanium implant. The implant is placed

Dubai Toughens Requirements to Practice Implantology

Tighter laws are on the cards for dentists wishing to practice implantology in Dubai. A proposed change in policy will require dentists to complete 100 hours of implantology study and to present completed case reports, before being permitted to sit for the oral licensing exam. The move is set to infuriate local product companies, who have previously complained of the United Arab Emirate`s excessive licensing requirements.Industry-led courses are likely to be most affected by the ruling, as most are structured

Oral Surgeon pleads guilty in NY Bone Snatching Case

Michael Mastromarino, 44, was arrested nearly two years ago, and this month he plead guilty. Mastromarino and two of his associates were charged in 2006 with enterprise corruption, body stealing, opening graves, unlawful dissection and forgery. Authorities released photos of exhumed corpses that were boned below the waist. They said the defendants had made a crude attempt to cover their tracks by sewing PVC pipe back into the bodies in time for open-casket wakes. The bodies came from funeral homes

StentCad Beyond System

Researchers at the University of Ankara, Turkey have designed an innovative CAD based implant guide. The design features a plastic stent produced by rapid prototyping methods that snugly fits the implant handpiece and uses a square slot system to guide the drill direction as opposed to the metal/plastic sleeves used by similar systems. This allows for better visualization of the surgical area and negates the use of stepped sleeves of increasing diameter to guide the twist drill. Additionally it eliminates

US Patent Issued: Implant with 2 anti-rotational elements

A US patent has been issued to Biomet 3i for an implant which features two anti-rotational elements. One anti-rotational feature is adapted to engage a driving tool, while the other anti-rotational feature is adapted to engage an abutment. An implant abutment system is provided with an angled abutment adapted to mate with one of the anti-rotational features. A second, straight abutment is adapted to engage with the other anti-rotational feature. An abutment is provided with resilient fingers to interface with

Compact Cone-Beam CT Scanner

Gendex has released its latest imaging system. The GXB-500 features a medium size form-factor cone beam CT for for implant planning, TMJ analysis, and small oral surgery procedures. The system’s unique Amorphous Silicon Flat Panel sensor yields accurate, highly detailed image quality at the fastest scan and reconstruction rates in the industry (8.9 seconds and 20 seconds respectively), that allow dental teams to experience greatly improved workflow. Adding to the value of the GXCB-500, the system serves a dual function—it

Dental Implant to serve as Anchor for first Artificial Turtle Flipper

Allison, a green sea turtle, lost three of her flippers in a shark attack. To prevent her swimming in a permanent spiral, researchers plan on fitting a prosthetic flipper attached via a dental implant. The other option would be an external strap-on device. She was rescued in 2005 on the sub-tropical shores of South Padre Island on the Texas Gulf coast and now resides in a small tank at Sea Turtle, Inc, a research and conservation center which among other

The Navigator System for CT Guided Surgery – Biomet 3i

Biomet 3i have developed a protocol and set of surgical instruments for use with their implants in CT guided surgery. The Navigator System utilizes a surgical plan devised from CT images using Materialises`s Simplant Technology and a combination of specially designed surgical and laboratory drills and instruments to allow template-based implant positioning and immediate restoration if so desired.