The IVIO-UPV Chair Places High-Stakes Bet on Ultrasound in Oral Implantology

An ambitious research project, based on the application of ultrasound in oral implantology, will be the centerpiece of the IVIO-UPV Chair. The bone density analysis project using ultrasound as a diagnostic tool will help in planning implant surgery. Its implementation is expected to improve the biological process of direct connection between the bone and the implant, known as osseointegration.

The chair, based in Campus Gandia of the Universitat Politècnica de València, launched its research activity with a study of different ultrasound application in the dentistry field. The initial stage of the project will be carried out in the laboratories of the Department of Applied Physics at the university. Clinical trials will later be performed in the facilities of the Valencian Institute of Dental Research (IVIO) located in the center of Gandia (Valencia).

The object of the study focuses on the different densities of oral tissues, including teeth, bone and even prosthetic materials, through the application of ultrasound.  If successful, ultrasound could become a safer alternative for diagnostic studies, which are currently being conducted primarily with ionizing radiation.  The project has a minimum duration of three years and has an endowment of over 25,000 euros per year. This budget will be destined for the hiring of research personnel and the technological equipment and instruments necessary for carrying out the research.

“A LONG ROAD TO TRAVEL AND A LOT TO DISCOVER”

“We intend to position the IVIO-UPV  Chair as a leader in the use of new ultrasound applications in dentistry,” explains Francisco Camarena, director of the chair and professor of the UPV. Camarena conducts extensive research in the field of biomedical engineering.

Meanwhile, Joan Faus, doctor and director of IVIO, stressed that they “intend to expand the scope of new technologies based on the use of acoustics to help implement the therapeutic and diagnostic tools in oral implantology”. In this regard, in recent years the area of oral surgery dedicated implantology has undergone “one of the greatest advances in dentistry, although there is still a long way to go and much to discover” concludes Faus

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More information and questions regarding the IVIO-UPV Chair can be addressed in writing to  Francisco Camarena, research professor at the UPV Gandia Campus:: fracafe@fis.upv.es.

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