Students at North Dakota State University (NDSU) won first place and $5,000 for designing a porous ceramic dental implant.
NDSU's annual Innovation Challenge encourages students to translate research into commercial products or processes, creating intellectual property and applying microtechnologies to medical and dental devices, according to the university.
The porous ceramic dental implant is designed for people who cannot use traditional titanium implants. Since the implant is made from a type of inexpensive ceramic that has bone-like properties, it could reduce rejection rates, help patients heal faster, and be more cost-effective.
More than 60 students competed in the program, which supports interdisciplinary entrepreneurship among students.
