Instruments, technology and research in regard to the navigated placement of dental implants.

Dental implants are permanent fixtures of (mostly) titanium posts anchored to the jawbone and topped with individual replacement teeth or a bridge that screws or cements into the posts. Implants have significant functional advantages over removable, conventional dentures for lower and upper jaws, or removable bridges that clasp to adjacent teeth. Dental implantology has a tremendous marker potential in cosmetic dentistry. Esthetic surgery and implants are today among the fastest growing medical markets.
Today, dental implantology is marked by very high price settings, while quality standards seem difficult to maintain on a consistent basis. Seizing the gravity of the problems underlying both observations, the Brussels dental company UP2D NV, joined forces with the depatments ETRO and COPR of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in an attempt to realize the following objectives: quality improvement, cost reduction, market expansion. In order to achieve these goals, this industrial-academic consortium seeks to reform craftmanship, to a highly standardized, automated industrial production process.
The strategy deployed to realize this vision is twofold. A first research initiative is concerned with the development of an updated implant methodology, including the design of newimplant instruments and innovative 3D surgical treatment planning. A second research line seeks to significantly reduce mechanical tolerances throughout the entire production process and implant procedure. these strategical perspectives are scheduled to be realized in two phases: Phase I will focus on the development of a new generation implant instruments, based on the application of zirconium as a new tooling material. Phase II will address the design of improved measurements equipments and new priduction procedures.
December 2006, the industrial-academic consortium consisting of UP2D NV and the departments ETRO and COPR of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, was awarded a significant research grant by the 'Institute for the encouragement of the scientific research and innovation in Brussels' (ISRIB), to further pursue the goals of Phase I.