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EnBIO's CoBlast™ technology can offer the following competitive advantage functions to dental implant manufacturers:
- HA Osteoconductive Surface: Dental implant failure is caused by the implants not osseointegrating with the bone, or in everyday English, the dental implants do not biologically bond properly to the jaw bone. The availability of osteoconductive coatings on dental implants will result in improved fixation of these devices, especially where implants are placed in poor-quality bone. It has been widely shown in the scientific research literature that the most successful artificial osteoconductive coating applied to orthopaedic implants to-date is Hydroxyapatite (HA). The CoBlast™ process is more efficient and simpler that other application methods used today to apply such coatings (see the 'Product - Osteoconductive Surface' section for more information). No other technology can apply HA unchanged or unaltered. The addition of an osteoconductive coating is particularly relevant to hip and knee replacement.
- Alternative Osteoconductive Surface: There are other potential osteoconductive coatings available which have not been commercially exploited to-date, mostly due to the lack of appropriate deposition technologies. Other examples being investigated by EnBIO which will be specifically interesting to the dental implant community include flouroapathite and Bioglass. A Bioglass coating has been shown to be a better osteoconductive surface than HA for implants where bone is weak. Other possible osteoconductive surface modifications include osteogenetic agents (e.g. BMP's - Bone Morphogenetic Protein) and fibronectin related proteins will also help promote growth at the bone-metal interface and the scientific expectation is that such coatings may be more osteoconductive and osteoinductive that HA, leading to shorter recovery times and fast implant loading.
- Antibiotic Delivery Surface: Through the CoBlast™ technology EnBIO can offer an antibiotic eluting surface whereby a defined amount of antibiotic (e.g. vancomycin or gentamicine) is eluted in the days immediately following the implant procedure.
- Antimicrobial Surface: Late stage infection (> 3 months after the implantation) is a common problem with all dental implants. Again, through the CoBlast™ technology, EnBIO can offer a surface which exhibits long term antimicrobial properties and which will prevent the build up of bacteria on the surface of the implant.
- Cell Proliferation Surface: If placed at the top of the implant were it is in contact with the gum it will enhance the healing of the gum and ensure that the there is better attachment of the flesh to the metal implant (i.e. prevent ditching), sealing the route that bacteria would otherwise use to infect the gum/implant.
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