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Implant Tribune Asia Pacific Edition

HONG KONG, China: Investigating patients’ knowledge and percep- tions regarding implant therapy, a Chinese study has found that an alarming number of participants had inaccurate and unrealistic ex- pectations about dental implants. Moreover, the study determined that only 18 per cent felt confident about the information they had about the treatment. In the study, the researchers investigated preoperative infor- mation levels, perceptions and expectations regarding implant therapy via a questionnaire. Re- sponses from 277 patients were obtained during 2014 and 2015 in three different locations in China (Hong Kong, Sichuan and Jiangsu). The analyses established that about one-third of the partici- pants had mistaken assumptions about dental implants. According to the researchers, common mis- conceptions were that dental implants require less care than natural dentition, implant treat- ment is appropriate for all pa- tients with missing teeth, dental implants last longer than natural dentition, and there are no risks or complications with implant treat- ment. Overall, younger respondents (< 45) and those with higher educa- tion (bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees) tended to have more real- istic perceptions and lower expec- tations of the treatment outcome. When asked about their level of knowledge, 63 per cent of the participants said that they were generally informed about im- plants, but only 18 per cent felt confident about the information they had. IMPLANTTRIBUNE The World’s Implantology Newspaper · Asia Pacific Edition Fundamental implant misconceptions Published in Hong Kong www.dental-tribune.asia Vol. 14, No. 10 TAIPEI, Taiwan: Considering the country’s per capita income, the cost of undergoing extensive im- plant treatment in Taiwan is equivalent to the price of an im- ported luxury car, the Taiwanese Consumers’ Foundation (CF) com- mented in relation to the findings of its new survey. In addition to disproportionately high implant costs, the CF survey found that Taiwanese implant patients were often faced with an array of vaguely labelled associated fees. As its main finding, the survey identified considerably varying costs for implant treatment in the country. For example, it found that a patient in Chiayi County is charged around NT$40,000– NT$80,000 (US$1,243–US$2,487) for a single implant, while the fee in Hsinchu County is NT$60,000– NT$100,000 (US$1,865–US$3,109), the China Post reported. Overall, prices for a single im- plant ranged from NT$40,000 to NT$150,000 (US$4,663), which is very expensive when considered in relation to the nation’s per cap- ita income. According to the CF re- port, a Taiwanese earning a mini- mum hourly wage would have to work between 334 and 1,250 hours to afford one dental implant, while a person in Japan would have to work between 213 and 284 hours, and someone in the US between 77 and 359 hours. Based on a Gallup survey, Taiwan had a median per capita income of US$6,882 in 2013, com- pared with US$10,840 in Japan and US$15,480 in the US. The survey further identified a number of related costs, some- timesambiguouslynamed,charged for implant treatment, including a tooth implantation evaluation fee, a tooth implantation surgery fee, artificial tooth root, pros- thetic crowns and periodontal prostheses. In addition, owing to a general lack of standardisation for implant treatment, partici- pants reported confusion regard- ing the surgical treatment op- tions they were offered, what the treatments actually entailed and whether the costs would be cov- ered by their health insurance, the CF stressed. In light of the findings, the foundation called on the Ministry of Health and Welfare and related government bodies to review cur- rent regulations that standardise the fees charged by medical care providers. At present, the fee schedule is not mandatory. Taiwan: Excessive implant prices and fees WAKÕ, Japan: Mimicking the ad- hesive properties of mussels, which are able to form a tight bond with smooth surfaces, scientists from the RIKEN research institute in Japan have successfully attached a biologically active molecule to a titanium surface, a metal used in artificial joints and dental im- plants, for example. Their findings may enable the development of new cell growth-enhancing mate- rials and thus more biologically beneficial dental implants. When it comes to func- tionality and compatibility, the achievements of nature are rarely matched by science. Mussels, for example, can attach tightly to almost any surface owing to a certain protein, L-dopa, which is able to bind very strongly even to smooth surfaces such as that of ceramics or metals. Taking their inspiration from this particular feature, the Japa- nese scientists sought to imitate nature in order to enhance bio- compatibility in medical applica- tions. “We thought it would be in- teresting to try to use various techniques to attach a biologically active protein—in our case we chose insulin-like growth factor-1, a promoter of cell proliferation— to a titanium surface like those used in implants,” lead author Chen Zhang from the RIKEN Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory explained. Using a combination of re- combinant DNA technology and treatment with tyrosinase, the researchers were able to create a hybrid protein that contained active parts of both the growth factor and L-dopa. In additional experiments, the team was able to confirm that the proteins bound strongly to the titanium surface and remained attached, even when the metal was washed in phosphate-buffered saline, a water-based solution. “This is similar to the power- ful properties of mussel adhesive, which can remain fixed to metal- lic materials even underwater,” Zhang said. According to Dr Yoshi- hiro Ito, the team leader of the Emergent Bioengineering Materi- als Research Team of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Sci- ence, this universal modification process could be used with other proteins too and may allow for the production of new cell growth- enhancing materials, with poten- tial applications in cell culture sys- tems and regenerative medicine. The study, titled “A bioorthog- onal approach for the preparation of a titanium-binding insulin- like growth-factor-1 derivative by using tyrosinase”, was published onlineaheadofprinton6Julyinthe Angewandte Chemie International Edition journal. Advancing biocompatibility of implants

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