Nicolaas Geurs, DDS, is the principal investigator of the study. This registry will help practitioners better understand dental implants and their impact on patients’ health, function and quality of life with the aim of improving treatment outcomes of future therapy.
Photography: Steve WoodThe National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, founded and hosted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, is now home to the nation’s first dental implant registry. The registry, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, will drive a three-year study of dental implant outcomes and aims to investigate the parameters associated with the success of implant therapy, as well as the rate of prosthetic and biologic implant complications.
Nicolaas Geurs, DDS, Weatherford/Palcanis Endowed Professor and chair at the UAB Department of Periodontology, is the principal investigator of the study. The total funding for this study is $2,354,358.
“Registries in medicine are commonly conducted to gather data on large numbers of patients by many different clinicians throughout the country,” Geurs said. “This registry will help us better understand dental implants and their impact on patients’ health, function and quality of life with the aim of improving treatment outcomes of future therapy.”
Geurs says the study will enroll 2,000 patients nationwide and help dental practitioners across the country learn how to improve dental implant therapy outcomes. The data will be used to understand how often patients develop disease around their dental implants and how often patients experience issues with their implant crowns or dentures.
Dental implants are commonly used to replace missing teeth. Participants in the study will receive their implant crown, and their progress will be followed over the next three years.
“The knowledge gained from this registry will guide clinicians on what therapies are best for preventing dental implant complications and help improve treatment outcomes,” Geurs said. “Patients will benefit from these findings, because the data will help us increase the success of dental implants, crowns and dentures and help us improve how we restore dental function and aesthetics, all while maintaining oral health for patients who have lost teeth.”
The registry started recruiting patients nationwide in July. Those interested in enrolling in the study should contact their oral health care provider.