IIT-D & MAIDS Scientists Develop Indigenous Tech for User-Friendly, Affordable Tooth Implants

New Delhi: Going to a dentist is always considered to be a costly affair. But after this development it won’t remain so. A group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) have developed an indigenous technology for dental implants that will provide user-friendly and affordable solutions for all edentulous situations (missing tooth). These implants are expected to work for all kind of conditions, including single or multiple missing teeth and completely edentulous situations or full denture.

“It took us ten years to come up with this technology. The implants that are imported are expensive and the companies making them are unwilling to share the technology, so we have made indigenous implants,” said Prof Naresh Bhatnagar, researcher, IIT Delhi.

The researchers selected a range of anthropometry in India to base their studies on. The design was based on the premise of minimum stress generation during the insertion of threaded Titanium implants. For every diameter the abutment size is different, and they all have a different screw. So the researchers made a multi-functional component and a patent was filed on the basis of a less expensive dental implant system.

The innovations include the use of the same prosthetic platform for all implant integrated platform switching, and the development of a single component which serves as implant mount, implant impression transfer coping, implant impression pickup coping (with long screw) and as the final straight abutment.

The surface treatment for the implant was developed with a combination of grit blasting and acid etching for better Osseo integration of the implant with the surrounding bone. This was one of the key technologies in its success.

The biological efficacy and safety was established with an animal study whose results were verified with Micro CT analysis and Histomorphometry at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvanthapuram and at Shriram Institute for Industrial research, Delhi. An initial clinical use of the implant was done at MAIDS, in which single tooth implant cases were compared with a standard control.

“We tested the implants on 150 patients and found the success rate was 92%. These tests were done after taking a complete clearance from the ethics clearance from MAIDS and then registering our trial in the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI). Then we have to create a clean room facility to maufacture this implant and to get a certificate from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). We have set up a manufacturing lab in IIT Delhi,” said Dr Bhatnagar.

A kit containing all types of surgical drills and components together with universal prosthetic components was also indigenously developed. It consists of all the necessary machinery, moulds, tools, jigs and fixtures designed and developed, even for packaging, cleaning and sterilization, to make it easy and comfortable for surgeons to deploy the implant with no-touch, and use the system on patients for maximum success.

The manufacturing and cleaning facility was set up at Nano Research Facility (NRF) at IIT Delhi for the project. The IIT obtained a drug license as a test manufacturing Unit for Dental implants for R&D purposes, and for clinical trial from the Delhi State Licensing Authority. More than 500 implants for trial purposes have been manufactured in the IIT facility so far.

The project was funded by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Source: ID

Image Courtesy: Lowell Dental Art