Rethinking implant failures to improve patient outcomes

dental implant

Summary: A new dental or orthopaedic implant is expected to reduce pain and improve quality of life. Unfortunately, 5% of orthopaedic implants and up to 20% of dental implants fail prematurely. Orthopaedics and dentistry face similar challenges, yet insights are seldom shared across disciplines. This initiative unites dentists, orthopaedic surgeons, imaging and materials scientists to elevate biomedical implant performance. Western houses Canada’s largest orthopedic implant retrieval lab and is now assessing failed dental implants. This interdisciplinary team is identifying the root causes of adverse clinical outcomes linked to implant materials, including degradation mechanisms such as corrosion, to inform strategic research directions and improve patient safety and outcomes. 

 

 

Team Leads: Yolanda Hedberg (Chemistry) & Les Kalman (Dentistry)

Team Members: Ali Tassi (Dentistry), Santiago Cobos (Dentistry), David Holdsworth (Medical Biophysics), Brent Lanting (Orthopedic Surgery), Matthew Teeter (Medical Biophysics), Marisa Ann Azad (Infectious Disease, University of Ottawa), Trevor Gascoyne (Orthopaedic Innovation Centre), Robin Pourzal (Orthopedic Surgery, Rush University), Doug Van Citters (Engineering, Dartmouth College), Rodrigo Franca (Dentistry, University of Manitoba)

Project Duration: September 2024 – August 2026    Stream 2: $25,000

Completed Milestones

  • Awarded New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration (NFRF-E) grant $250,000 (Fall 2024 Competition)
  • Awarded Network for Canadian Oral Health Research (NCOHR) meeting grant $20,000 (Fall 2024 Competition)
  • Hosted public-facing Implantology Event Nov 7th and 8th, 2025
  • Applied for Canada Foundation for Innovation – Innovation Fund (CFI-IF) in Winter 2025 (pending). ~$22M
  • Presentation at the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (ICORS) conference in October 2025
  • Begun first experimental series on pre-corroded mini implants

Future Milestones

  • Industry partnerships following NCOHR Event — Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Voestalpine, KA Imaging, Oerlikon
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance and MITACS opportunities
  • Establishing National Implant Retrieval Program in collaboration with Orthopedic Innovation Centre (Winnipeg)