Research

Diabetes Implant Study

This research project is designed to determine whether dental implants are as successful in diabetic patients as in non-diabetic patients. It will also determine the incidence of undiagnosed diabetes in patients seeking dental implants for a replacement of lost dentition.

A Pivotal Randomized, Parallel Evaluation of rhBMP-2/Absorbable Collagen Sponge and Bone Graft for Maxillary Sinus Floor Augmentation.

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2/absorbable collagen sponge (rhBMP-2/ACS) is an investigational product developed by Genetics Institute and is being evaluated for use where patients have lost bone in the back (maxillary sinus) of their upper jaw. rhBMP-2 is a protein that is very similar to proteins involved in bone growth that are already found in your body. The absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) is a sterilized product that is made from the tendons of cows and acts as a carrier to supply the rhBMP-2 to the area where you want bone to grow. The carrier is absorbable, which means that it will slowly dissolve in the body. When studied in humans and animals, rhBMP-2/ACS has grown bone.

The Reality of Immediate Implant Placement

The success of endosteal implants in edentulous patients was followed by the successful use of these implants in partially edentulous patients. The past decade has seen the development of a variety of unique implant designs to facilitate replacement of individual lost teeth. As single tooth replacement with implants became part of the dental standard of care it was only logical that interest would focus on the issues associated with immediate implant placement. The positive, psychological impact of immediate placement is clear. The sense of loss due to extraction of a tooth is minimized by the positive aspect of immediate placement with the realization that the patient is on their way to being whole again.