New hope for patients who couldn’t get dental implants

First published by The University of Melbourne

One in ten patients with missing teeth can't be helped with a traditional dental implant. University of Melbourne researchers have designed an innovative implant to help these patients. The research team seeks an industry partner to take the first Australian-designed dental implant to patients around the world.

Missing teeth can threaten our health and happiness. But some patients can’t get dental implants.

With a unique design to make most of even reduced bone volume, the Rectangular Block Implant offers a solution.

“The dental profession has a very good understanding of how dental implants behave in the oral environment, setting a high benchmark for patient-centred care,” says University of Melbourne Associate Professor (Prosthodontics) Roy Judge.

The implant is the first to be designed and manufactured in Australia. It is developed at the University of Melbourne by a team of academics, dental practitioners and engineers. Proof-of-concept human clinical trials have begun.

To bring the Rectangular Block Implant to the global dental implant market, the research team is seeking an industry partner.

Why dental implants are important

People without missing teeth don’t think much about chewing food. But once that ability is gone, they may quickly realise how essential it was to their wellbeing.

Chewing is the first step in breaking down food for digestion. Impaired chewing leads to impaired digestion – which can lead to poorer nutrition and poorer health. Researchers have even linked better chewing to better general wellbeing.

Missing teeth make chewing difficult. To replace missing teeth, dental surgeons commonly use dental implants. They create an anchor point in the jawbone for crowns, bridges or partial dentures.

“One advantage of using this as the tooth replacement strategy is that it avoids the extensive preparation of neighbouring teeth which occurred during the provision of conventional bridges on teeth,” says Associate Professor Judge.

Making dental implants available for more patients

For most patients, this strategy is very successful and delivers reliable results. But around one in ten patients can’t get dental implants.

Some don’t have enough healthy bone in their jaw, making it unpredictable to secure the implant. This includes people who have lost bone to trauma or disease like oral cancers, or who have had their teeth extracted years ago – which often leads to bone loss, if unreplaced.

“Also, patients with affected bone healing have reduced chances of success. These would include patients who currently smoke, have uncontrolled diabetes, have had irradiation to the head and neck or take certain medications to help manage osteoporosis,” says Associate Professor Judge.

Associate Professor Judge, dental surgeon Dr Tim Gazelakis and physicist Associate Professor Joseph Palamara have invented a dental implant that works for these patients.

How the Rectangular Block Implant works

Compared to conventional dental implants, the Rectangular Block Implant (RBI):

• Makes best use out of whatever bone volume the patient still has
• Minimises the risk to nerves and veins in their jaw
• Maximises force distribution to give patients a better chewing experience.

It is a unique design aimed at patients who otherwise would not be able to receive a dental implant without risky surgical procedures or unpredictable large-scale bone grafts.

Associate Professor Roy Judge

Dental implants usually drill straight down into the jaw. The Rectangular Block Implant has a long horizontal base to use less vertical height.

“In most cases, bone height is reduced after loss of teeth,” says Associate Professor Judge.

“The RBI team have also designed and constructed a specialised surgical tip to ensure that the implant is well adapted to the available bone.”

Beyond patients with bone loss or conditions that exclude them from dental implant care, the RBI could even help household pets.

“The horizontal orientation of the RBI lends itself very well to replacement of teeth in mid-size pets. As we progress our studies, we hope to engage with industry partners to provide dental comfort to our furry friends,” Associate Professor Judge says.

How industry partnership will improve access to safe and predictable dental implants

The Rectangular Block Implant is the first dental implant designed and manufactured in Australia. It has been developed over 12 years by a group of academics, clinicians, engineers and postgraduate students at the University of Melbourne.

The technology is patented in Australia, Europe and the US. The team is working on a patent application for the surgical tip. They have also recently begun proof-of-concept human clinical trials.

“We have successfully placed implants into two patients with positive bone and soft tissue responses,” says Associate Professor Judge.

This trial is the first step in making the Rectangular Block Implant commercially available. In 2021, the global dental implant market was worth around US$4.31 billion.

The research team is now seeking a dental implant industry partner to work with for manufacturing and distributing the Rectangular Block Implant. Together, the partners will conduct an international randomised controlled trial that will verify the effectiveness of the RBI following the completion of the proof-of-concept trial.

“The RBI team are a small group working within the Melbourne Dental School. Our access to world leaders in engineering, manufacturing, bone physiology and surgery across the University of Melbourne provides a significant value-add in our future partnerships,“ Associate Professor Judge says.