June 8, 2007 — Millennium Research Group (MRG) says, in its US Markets for Dental Implants 2007 report, that prominent dental implant manufacturers are incorporating nanotechnology into their dental implant surface designs because the technology is purported to cut healing time in half and improve osseointegration. The list of such implant manufacturers includes 3i and Bicon, both of which have branded their nanotechnology-based dental implant surfaces as NanoTite; plus Astra Tech with OsseoSpeed; and Straumann with its SLActive.

According to MRG, Straumann’s SLActive implants have been well adopted in the US, but American dentists often do not associate SLActive with nanotechnology. On the other hand, respondents identified 3i as the nanotech-based implant manufacturer with which they were most familiar.

“Nanotechnology-based dental implant surfaces represent a new generation of surface treatments. Clinical data suggests that these new surfaces can benefit patients by improving the time it takes for osseointegration to occur,” says Melicent Lavers, Manager of dental research at MRG. “These new dental implants are, however, priced at a premium and it is unclear whether or not dentists are passing on the
additional cost to patients.”