Image Navigation announces computerized surgical navigation system for dental implants

The system has submillimeter accuracy and a robotic automatic stop for maximum safety, instantly turning off the drill motor if the drill is placed outside of the planned surgical area.

“Our new system seamlessly integrates the advantages of freehand surgery, including unfettered vision of the surgical site, retention of the surgeon’s tactile feel and the application of intrasurgical clinical judgment,” explained Lawrence Obstfeld, CEO of Image Navigation and developer of the dental navigation technology.

When using the IGI system, the dental surgeon views the tip of the drill and the preoperative plan both superimposed onto a 3-D CT scan that displays the bone, adjacent teeth, nerve canal, roots and sinus area. The IGI’s on-screen display has a unique fluent tracking system with zero latency. It adds real-time navigated digital surgery to digital imaging, digital planning and digital restorations, thereby completing the digital puzzle.

“The surgeon is able to monitor the drilling path on screen and make precise adjustments to ensure the most accurate dental implant placement during surgery,” said Obstfeld.

Data shows that more general dentists across the world are using the new, more affordable, technology that minimizes postoperative complications, reduces surgical treatment time and ensures greater accuracy when placing implants.

The last few years have seen new opportunities open up in dentistry with significant growth in the dental implant market, combined with technological improvements and cost reductions. It is estimated that more than 8 million dental implants were placed in patients across the world in 2018, and more than 3 million in the U.S. alone. This U.S. figure is expected to increase by 33 percent to 4 million by 2022, and the growth rate in other areas, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, is expected to be even faster. In the U.K., there were an estimated 260,000 implants placed in 2018, which is double the number five years ago.

Recent data also indicates dramatic shifts in the usage of technology for the placement of dental implants. In the U.S. alone, the market for dental CBCT scanners has increased by over 300 percent, from approximately 8,000 in 2012 to over 28,000 in 2018, and is forecast to be more than 40,000 by 2022.

“This new image-guided implant system enables dentists to undertake their procedures with reduced stress, as it allows them to be totally precise in their actions and gives them the assurance that they will be able to repeat their work with consistency,” concluded Obstfeld.

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