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SUNNYVALE, Calif., USA/ BASEL, Switzerland: Global dental implant manufacturer Straumann has announced that it has purchased about 12 percent of RODO Medical's shares for an undisclosed sum. The U.S. company has developed a novel system that simplifies the implant restoration process significantly. Straumann believes that the system could replace cement and screws in implant restorations in the future.
RODO Medical's Smileloc System is a retention mechanism utilizing shape memory properties of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy, which has been used in stents and other medical devices, including orthodontic archwires and endodontic files, for many decades. It allows for easy fixation of crowns or dentures to implant abutments without the need for cement or retaining screws, the two main methods that are currently used for securing dental restorations, both of which have been associated with a number of complications, such as implant failure due to cement-related peri-implantitis.
According to the company, the system is fully compatible with most of the major implant systems. As it allows for quick and easy removal of the prosthesis, it can reduce procedure time and cost significantly.
"Smileloc is an innovative concept," said Straumann's CEO Marco Gadola. "The first clinical results are promising and I agree with the developers that, when it becomes commercially available, it might substitute some of the current fixture technology."'
The system has been approved for the European market already. FDA approval in the U.S. is pending. According to RODO Medical, the product will soon be available in both markets.
