The licensed technology resolves a problem commonly encountered with dental implants and was developed by UConn School of Dental Medicine Associate Professor and Prosthodontist, Dr. Avinash Bidra.
“We are thrilled to be working with UConn and Dr. Bidra, who has a background in both clinical practice and clinical research,” said PREAT President, Chris Bormes. “Inclusion of Dr. Bidra’s technology will help PREAT to continue to deliver the finest precision attachment, implant, and restorative/prosthetic products to dental laboratories, dentists, and denturists.”
Existing methods for fabricating dental implant prostheses can lead to imperfections that could be potentially harmful for patients. For example, excess acrylic resin on the dental bridge can interfere with the fit of the dental bridge in the mouth when placed immediately after implant surgery. Dental bridges that are not completely free of excess acrylic resin could fail due to fracture of the prostheses, failure of the implants due to movement, or inflammation around the gums and bone.
Dr. Bidra’s technology is focused on implant treatments known as All-on-4®, registered to Nobel Biocare Services or Teeth in a Day®, registered to Prosthodontics Intermedica Corporation Pennsylvania, for patients with total tooth loss. For such patients, a full arch dental bridge is installed immediately after implant surgery. Dr. Bidra’s invention significantly improves on the currently available standard products by adding an additional component that creates a closer fit for the dental implant pieces. Using his invention, the acrylic resin added during the fabrication process does not come in contact with other components that could be scratched or damaged or interfere with the fit of the bridge. Scratches or damage to the other dental implant components allow bacteria and plaque to proliferate, resulting in soft tissue damage and possible bone loss around the implants. Trimming and polishing the dental bridge component is also easier, simpler and quicker with Dr. Bidra’s technology than standard methods.
“This is a prime example of the unique ability of academic-industry partnerships to address unmet clinical needs,” said Dr. Radenka Maric, Vice President for Research at UConn/UConn Health. “The world-class researchers at UConn are making important discoveries every day, and we are grateful to our industry partners who help those discoveries reach the public.”
Technology Commercialization Services within the Office of the Vice President for Research provided critical support for the commercialization of Dr. Bidra’s technology. The group facilitated patent protection, worked to identify potential industry partners and market the product, and negotiated the current license agreement with PREAT Corporation.
