Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Implant Survival Rates after Osteotome-Mediated Maxillary Sinus Augmentation: A Systematic Review

Implant Survival Rates after Osteotome-Mediated Maxillary Sinus Augmentation: A Systematic Review:

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluate the implant survival rate after osteotome-mediated maxillary sinus augmentation with or without using grafting materials.

Materials and Methods: MEDLINE database was searched using a combination of specific search terms. Furthermore, a hand searching of the relevant journals and of the bibliographies of reviews was performed. Prospective and retrospective clinical studies with at least 20 patients treated by osteotome-mediated sinus floor elevation were included.

Results: Nineteen studies were selected for data analysis. A total of 1,822 patients, accounting for 3,131 implants were considered. Mean weighted cumulative implant survival at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years was estimated as 98.12%, 97.40%, 96.75%, and 95.81%, respectively. No significant difference was found in relation to the use of grafting material nor in relation to implant length. Overall implant survival was 92.7% for 331 implants placed in <5 mm ridge height and 96.9% for 2,525 implants inserted in ≥5 mm ridge height. The difference was significant (p = .0003).

Conclusions: The transalveolar sinus augmentation technique could be a viable treatment in case of localized atrophy in the posterior maxilla even in case of minimal residual bone height. The prognosis can be more favorable when the residual ridge is at least 5 mm high.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

InQu Bone Graft Extender/Substitute Receive CE Mark Approval

InQu Bone Graft Extender/Substitute Receive CE Mark Approval: 09dsdrftgyuh

Bone grafting is one of the cornerstones of orthopaedic surgery. In cases like trauma, tumors, fusions and skeletal reconstruction there are often spaces and gaps that need to be filled in with bone. This is where bone grafting comes into play, and there are many options. The best bet is to use bone harvested from the patient, such as iliac crest bone graft from the pelvis. This is termed autograft and contains bone-producing stem-cells, growth factors and a structural scaffold to provide mechanical stability. In cases where a surgeon would like to avoid the pain and risk associated with harvesting bone, there are less invasive options. You can use bone obtained from organ donors, termed allograft (also less appropriately dubbed “croutons”). Allograft, however, carries the risk of infection and other transplant associated problems. Then there are bone graft substitutes/extenders, synthetic bioactive materials that provide a scaffold for healing bone to grow into. These usually are the least effective, however they can be combined with various modalities such as bone marrow aspirate to be a safe and effective (although more expensive) alternative to traditional bone grafting.

So in related news, ISTO just announced that their InQu Bone Graft extender/substitute material just received CE Mark approval (it received 510(k) clearance in the US in 2007). The product is somewhat unique, in that it combines polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) and unmodified hyaluronicacid (HyA), which are materials not commonly found in most commercially available bone graft substitutes. There is little research available regarding the effectiveness of this combination in skeletal surgery in the extremities, but it sounds promising. The PLGA is meant to provide an osteoconductive scaffold while the HyA improves handling, cell attachment and supports vascular ingrowth. It is designed for use in non-structural areas of bone, such as small voids from benign tumor excisions or hardware removals. The material is available as granules, a paste, putty and 3-dimensional structures.

Read More



Wednesday, September 21, 2011

How To Do High-Quality 3D Bone Model Printing On The Cheap



Again form the MEDGadget blog.
Enjoy !


How To Do High-Quality 3D Bone Model Printing On The Cheap:

Orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeons sometimes prepare for surgery by creating physical models of 3D scans of bones that they need to work on. Such models are also useful in educating med school students, doctors, and patients. However, these models tend to be very expensive, usually seen only in well-funded research projects or used by expensive medical professionals. Oftentimes, because the cost of the model is so high, a compromise must be made, so the resulting models end up being truncated or less than actual size.


Shapeways, a company that prints custom-designed 3D models, published a blog post about how Max Frame, an orthopedic surgeon at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, Scotland, managed to produce a full-size human pelvis for about $230, less than one-fifth the cost of a smaller, professionally made model.




He accomplished this by taking CT scans and importing them into two programs, one to fill in any gaps and eliminate any artifacts on the CT scan and the other to create a 3D surface render that Shapeways can read. After being sent to Shapeways, it took less than a week for Max to receive the models. According to Max, the models were verified and shown to be virtually identical to the bones in the CT scan. Moreover, the white plastic that composed the models proved to be a great bone analog in which to practice using regular orthopedic drills, screws, and saws.


Blog entry from Shapeways: 3D Printing Bone on a budget!




Thursday, September 15, 2011

Medtronic launches Artisan System for Bone Graft Protection In Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery


From the MedGadget Blog !
I am not aware if this has been released in India but it seems awesome !


Medtronic launches Artisan System for Bone Graft Protection In Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery:

Bone grafting is the use of either native, cadaveric, or artifical bone pieces to fill a void where you would like new bone to grow. Often at first, bone grafts have poor structural qualities and need hardware to protect them, the bone around and to keep them in place. In Oral-Maxillofacial surgery bone loss is often caused by infection, trauma, tumors and other conditions.


Medtronic has announced the launch of its Artisan space maintenance system which is a set of a customizable titanium mesh, special screws for mesh fixation, as well as socket screws. The mesh is specifically designed for the protection of bone graft and has unique handling and structural properties for this purpose. The socket screws in particular are being marketed as ground breaking since the umbrella-shaped screw design allows for the protection of bone graft while eliminating the need to lift a second flap for the removal of the screw.


Press release: Medtronic Announces Launch of ARTISAN™ Space Maintenance System




Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Cavity-Filling Fluid That Regenerates Tooth Enamel – Is This The End Of The Dental Drill?

A Cavity-Filling Fluid That Regenerates Tooth Enamel – Is This The End Of The Dental Drill?:

Perhaps someday, the bi-annual trip to the dentist may become much less intimidating, thanks to researchers at Leeds University in the UK who have developed a completely pain-free way to fill cavities.


Taking inspiration from the principles of regenerative medicine, the process involves a special peptide-based fluid. Suspended in water, the peptide fluid, known as P 11-4 is clear and has a similar viscosity as water. Under certain conditions, namely when placed in contact with saliva that surrounds a tooth, the fluid forms a gel scaffold that fills the microscopic holes that are cavities. The scaffold, which mimics proteins that are found in growing teeth, attracts hydroxyapatite and other minerals to regenerate actual tooth enamel within weeks.


If P 11-4 is shown to be effective in larger clinical trials, the feared dental drill may one day find its place on the shelf with other archaic, barbaric medical devices from our past!


Here’s a video report about the research from UK’s Channel 4:



Article from Leeds University: Filling Without Drilling…




Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Bioactive Compound Can Be Molded to Fit Grafting Site


From the MEDGADGET site
Bioactive Compound Can Be Molded to Fit Grafting Site:

NovaBone Products has introduced a new line of biologically active bone-graft substitutes that are designed to enhance the body’s natural healing process by facilitating rapid vascularization and mineralization. Suspended in a rapidly-absorbable binder, the moldable material contains a calcium phosphosilicate with a continuous macroporous structure. Known as MacroPor-Si+, the product can be used to repair osseous defects throughout the skeletal system.


Founded in 2002, the manufacturer offers a variety of silicon- and calcium-ion controlled-release products that stimulate the regeneration of cortical and cancellous bone.


Press release: NovaBone Announces New Moldable Bone Graft…


Manufacturer’s web site: NovaBone Products…




Saturday, July 2, 2011

Updates to Dropbox Terms of Service and Privacy Statement

Hi Pankaj,

We wanted to let you know that we've made some changes to the Dropbox Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Security Overview. We did this to make our policies easier to read and understand, and better reflect product improvements we've made to Dropbox. Please read about these changes in our blog post, and read the docs themselves:
We welcome feedback on the changes at tos-feedback@dropbox.com. Please note that by continuing to use Dropbox, you agree to our new TOS which will be effective on July 15th, 2011.

- The Dropbox Team