Israeli scientists revolutionize denture fittings

HoloDent reduces the time it takes to get dentures from 30 days to 30 minutes, while making the treatment more comfortable and precise.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
3D model of a tooth (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
3D model of a tooth
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
A 3D holographic scanner that originated in the Hebrew University’s BioDesign Program has cut down the time it takes to create and fit dentures from a month to 30 minutes.
HoloDent is an award-winning 3D holographic scanner which aims to replace outdated dental procedures, including the formation of dentures, or prosthetic teeth. The traditional method of creating dentures is a long and painful process in which a patient has to visit a clinic multiple times. Failure to take exact measurements of the mouth during those visits causes discomfort and pain.
“The process of fitting dentures hasn’t significantly changed in the last 100 years,” said Dr. Anat Sharon, director of the Maxillofacial Prosthetics Clinic at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem.
“It is such a long process that most dental clinics simply refuse to carry out the process.”
BioDesign allowed Sharon to recruit top engineering and business students to help her develop an alternative technology.
“HoloDent is the first holography scanning device for intraoral 3D modeling, reducing the time it takes to get dentures from 30 days to 30 minutes, while making the treatment far more comfortable and precise for all patients,” said Amit Zilberstein, a BioDesign fellow and CEO of the Holo- Dent company. The group won a recent award at the Startup Open Israel competition and participated at the prestigious MassChallenge acceleration program in Boston, Massachusetts, earlier this year.
“HoloDent is a testament to the immense creativity and drive of our students,” said Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, co-director of the BioDesign Medical Innovation program at the Hebrew University. “The experience and maturity of our fellows are predicates to successful spin-offs such as HoloDent.”
The technology involves a market of $500 million in the US alone. HoloDent also aims to improve the accessibility of accurate denture fitting for aging populations in developing countries, eliminating the need for a dentist in those areas by providing access to a cost-effective digital solution.
Biodesign, sponsored by Boston Scientific and the Terumo Medical Corporation, takes outstanding medical fellows, bioengineering and business graduate students and tutors them in the science and practice of bringing a medical innovation to the market. The innovations produced by the Biodesign program are commercialized by Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Hadasit, the technology transfer company of the Hadassah University Medical Center.