Technology leads to dental precision

The VCU School of Dentistry became one of the first in the nation to use Image Guided Implantology (IGI) in an effort to make dental implant procedures safer and more precise. Rather than relying solely on X-rays and what they can observe in the patients themselves, dentists use the computer program to give them a clearer understanding of where to drill (as well as what sensitive vital structures and nerves to avoid) much like a GPS system.

Training residents to perfect the technique takes about three months, and IGI is already in use in the Graduate Periodontics and Oral Surgery Clinics.

The dental school also uses Image Navigation’s first product, DentSim, as a learning tool for dental students and for continuing education. DentSim technology gives users real-time feedback through an advanced software program that monitors users’ activity. The IGI software can be used in the DentSim laboratory to train dental students as well.

Photo courtesy of Ruth Compton