The New Jersey Health Foundation/Nicholson Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Antonio Valdevit, PhD, to advance research into a medical device that could reduce local trauma and improve outcomes for people requiring tooth extractions.
Valdevit is an assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, chemistry, and biological sciences at the Stevens Institute of Technology. His mechanism uses vibratory motion to loosen the tooth with a piezoelectric actuator that can be incorporated into existing instruments currently used. The technology can be particularly important for people needing dental implants or those who must avoid the risk of oral bleeding due to underlying medical conditions, according to the foundation.
"Tooth extraction has been relatively unchanged for decades," stated George Heinrich, MD, vice chair and CEO of New Jersey Health Foundation, in a press release. "With the advent of numbing agents to reduce patient pain, the procedure has undergone little innovation with the exception of instrument refinement. This novel technology employs vibration to loosen and extract teeth while reducing local trauma."
