At the botiss bone & tissue World Congress in Berlin, the 2016 Straumann-botiss Young Pro Award in Regenerative Dentistry was presented to Dr. Vítor Marques Sapata, MSc. Currently a Research Scholar at the University of Zurich, Dr. Sapata is from Maringá, Brazil. He received the Award from Dr. Drazen Tadic, Managing Partner of botiss biomaterials and Mr. Frank Hemm, Head Customer Solutions & Education at Straumann.
The Award is a bi-annual prize worth €10,000. Created by Straumann and botiss, its aim is to foster and encourage the development of young dental professionals in the field of regenerative dentistry and dental biomaterials research.
The winner
Dr. Sapata is a Research Scholar at the University of Zurich Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Material Science in Switzerland. He holds a Master’s degree in Dental Science from the State University of Maringá in Brazil and completed a Periodontology Residency at the same faculty. He is in private practice in his hometown and a PhD student at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Sapata is also a member of the International Team of Implantology (ITI).
The winning entry and its clinical relevance
The subject of his work was localised bone regeneration around dental implants using biological mediators. By testing the influence of biological mediators for bone regeneration around dental implants, the study sought to demonstrate if and how the use of biological mediators could improve predictability and reduce morbidity. The biological mediators (rhPDGF-BB or rhBMP-2) demonstrated better performance at the initial phase of bone regeneration.
The study also revealed that following a full healing period, no differences in bone regeneration were found compared to the use of bone substitute material alone.
Prof. Michel Dard, Global Medical Director & Head of Medical Affairs at Straumann, commented: “Vítor Sapata conducted a systematic study addressing the critical topic of bone regeneration around dental implants, with the most recent investigative methods. Since there is neither reproducible nor reliable surgical procedure to fill up certain bone defects – particularly when voluminous and non-contained – he proposes supplementing bone substitutes with growth factors, i.e. tissue development-enhancing chemical substances in order to improve the efficiency of Guided Bone Regeneration. His contribution in an acute and controversial research domain offers arguments to an educated use of growth factors in clinical practice and contributes to a novel approach in the field of Guided Bone Regeneration.”
The winning submission will be published on STARGET DIGITAL.