BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Boston University’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) announced today that they have become the first U.S. dental school to acquire, install, and use two surgical robotic devices for dental implant surgeries.
These devices will provide an opportunity for the School’s predoctoral students and postdoctoral residents to learn how state-of-the-art robotic technology, with its accuracy and precision during dental surgery, can augment and enhance clinical practice and patient care.
The robot-assisted surgical device, known as Yomi, was developed by Miami-based healthcare start-up Neocis. It is the first (and to date, only) such device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for dental implant surgery.
“This technology is truly revolutionary and will change – and improve – the way we approach dental implant surgeries at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine,” said Dr. Alexander Bendayan, GSDM’s assistant dean of digital development & clinical training. “Introducing this advanced technology to our patient treatment centers will ensure that our predoctoral students and postdoctoral residents are prepared to be leaders in the field and will help to establish new standards of care for the profession.”
Using the Yomi system, the provider performing the surgical procedure first creates a virtual plan for the placement of a dental implant using detailed 3D scans of the patient’s mouth. The system then uses physical cues to guide the provider along the precise implementation of that plan – but is also able to adjust dynamically to accommodate mid-procedure changes. Yomi augments a provider’s ‘feel,’ giving real-time feedback via haptic technology to guide a provider along the treatment plan. But the provider controls the handpiece at all times: By design, the Yomi system complements, rather than overrides, a provider’s clinical expertise.
“We believe that Yomi may become a new standard of care for dental implants, and are thrilled to be working alongside the faculty, students, and residents at GSDM to implement this technology,” said Dr. Alon Mozes. “By embedding the technology at the dental-school level, we are building comfort and skill with this technology from the ground up.”
The School, with the assistance of trained technicians from Neocis, completed installing and calibrating the robotic devices in late September. GSDM faculty members participated in a rigorous two-day training on the Yomi system on September 25-26, 2019; additional two-day trainings will be held throughout October and November. Once trained, faculty members will use the Yomi system on their own patients and will also instruct GSDM predoctoral students and postdoctoral residents on the technology. Neocis will provide ongoing service and support.
With the acquisition of Yomi, GSDM continues its commitment to pioneering new dental technologies in its predoctoral and postdoctoral educational programs. In 2015, GSDM became the first dental school in the U.S. to implement CAD/CAM guided dental implant surgery, first using CEREC and SICAT guides and then, in 2018, introducing Nobel Biocare guides. All predoctoral students at GSDM currently have the opportunity to place a dental implant using guided surgery – a rarity for U.S. predoctoral dental programs – and soon will be able to also gain experience using the first robot-assisted dental surgical system in the U.S.
“At the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, innovation is more than a buzz word: It’s a mindset,” said Dr. Jeffrey W. Hutter, dean and Spencer N. Frankl professor in dental medicine. “Our School has always been a leader in embracing cutting-edge dental technologies, and I am proud to continue that tradition of innovation with Yomi.”
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About Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine: Founded in 1963, the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is the premier academic dental institution promoting excellence in dental education, research, oral health care, and community service to improve the overall health of the global population. With a faculty of more than 240 educators, clinicians, and researchers and more than 250 staff members, the School offers a full spectrum of predoctoral and postdoctoral education programs and a complete range of graduate programs and degrees to more than 700 students.
About Neocis, Inc.: Neocis® is a private company located in Miami, Florida, that is transforming dental implant surgery with advanced robotics, with a vision of advancing healthcare through the latest technology. The company’s FDA cleared Neocis Guidance System, or Yomi®, is indicated for use to provide assistance in both the planning (pre-operative) and the surgical (intra-operative) phases of dental implantation surgery. The system provides software to preoperatively plan dental implantation procedures and provides navigational guidance of the surgical instruments. Yomi® provides surgical guidance through the use of haptic robotic technology, software, and multisensory feedback to help achieve the right position, angulation, and depth to place the implant exactly according to plan. Yomi® enables a minimally invasive flapless approach, which has been proven to lead to faster surgery, faster recovery, and less pain for the patient.