DT News - Nordic - Neoss to host third Global Osseointegration Day on 3 May

Franziska Beier, Dental Tribune International

Fri. 28 April 2023

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On 3 May, Swedish implant manufacturer Neoss will be hosting its third annual webinar to commemorate the birthday of Prof. Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the father of osseointegration, who was born on 3 May 1929 in Karlshamn in Sweden and passed away in 2014. Prof. Neil Meredith will deliver the online presentation, and in it, will provide an overview of the advancements in dental implantology over the past half-century, focusing in particular on the pioneering work of Prof. Brånemark.

In an interview with Dental Tribune International (DTI), Prof. Tomas Albrektsson explained how Prof. Brånemark’s discovery came into being: “Brånemark told me about a meeting with an edentulous nurse who had accidentally lost her dentures during a coffee break. He, who was then training to become a physician, thought it was an easy problem to be solved by university dentists, to whom he referred the nurse. However, the nurse had severely resorbed alveolar ridges, and there was not much that could be done for her. In 1953, Brånemark decided to try to solve this problem, but it was not until 1962 that he realised that oral implants could be a solution.”

Prof. Neil Meredith. (Image: Osstell)

Prof. Meredith has been placing and restoring dental implants for over 30 years. He is a co-founder of Neoss and co-inventor of resonance frequency analysis (RFA)—used to determine the clinical status of a dental implant—and recently rejoined the company as an adviser. Concerning the upcoming webinar, he told DTI: “My presentation will honour Prof. Brånemark and those early clinicians, academics, engineers and entrepreneurs whose vision inspired the world and led to the adoption of dental implantology as the recognised patient treatment it has become today. In addition, I will review the evolution of technology and treatment solutions over the last 30 years and provide insight into future developments.”

Since Prof. Brånemark’s discovery, dental implantology has constantly evolved. According to Prof. Meredith, treatment modalities can now be measured and assessed with the help of RFA (commercialised via the formation of the company Osstell), and implant surface topographies have been identified as an important component in the rate of osseointegration, resulting in the development of new implant surfaces with properties such as super-hydrophilicity. In addition, 3D modelling and planning of all elements of a patient’s journey now facilitate the use of advanced-technology materials with additive and subtractive production methods to produce highly aesthetic and long-lasting prostheses, he said.

Attendees of the webinar can expect to learn more about the fundamental principles that underlie successful implant treatment and the key factors which contribute to the long-term success of implant procedures. Prof. Meredith will also demonstrate the important role that technology and innovations play in developing patient-focused solutions.

When asked what the future holds for dental implant treatments, Prof. Meredith replied: “Future development of workflows in combination with smart components and technology will facilitate treatment of cases ranging from straightforward single units to more advanced expert cases to be treated with a single solution.”

“Evidence-based medicine is fundamental to successful patient treatment. Recording and analysing data simply and accurately to measure clinician and clinical outcome will become the norm, required by patients, regulatory bodies and professional associations alike. Cloud-based databases and hardware are already in development to make this a reality.”

He added: “Bone regeneration and augmentation techniques are still in their infancy, commonly relying on particulate materials and membranes. The development of form-stable CAD/CAM grafts using translational technology are a key area for innovative patient care.”

Dental professionals can watch the presentation, titled “How far have we come and how far can we go?”, on Wednesday, 3 May, at 7 p.m. EDT. Registration for the free webinar is available at the Neoss Academy, and participants can earn one continuing education credit.