Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Altai State University invented unique dog dentures

8 January 2020 Department of Information and Media Communications
Rossiyskaya Gazeta wrote about several “dental” inventions created by Russian scientists. One of them belongs to students of Altai State University, and it is intended for toothless dogs.

Altai State University invented dog dentures that are suitable for all breeds. This project reached the final of the Successful Project competition of business ideas, organized by the flagship university of Altai Krai together with Altai Fund for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as part of the regional project “Promotion of Entrepreneurship”.

The project is called "Biocompatible dental implants taking into account the anatomical and topographic characteristics of dogs of different breeds".

The development of students of the Faculty of Biology Ksenia Volkova, Evgeny Chertovsky and student of the Faculty of Economics Dmitry Agarin was recognized by the jury as promising for the development of veterinary dentistry.

“For a dog, teeth are the main tool to use”, Dmitry Agarin told the RG reporter. "It’s the same as hands for a human. Now in the world there are almost 19 million dogs, of which about 20 percent are service dogs. Therefore, the problem of maintaining their teeth in working condition is really relevant. Today, veterinary medicine uses human dentures that are not suitable for many dog breeds. So this niche in veterinary dentistry is still empty”.

Altai dog prostheses are much cheaper than human analogues and, most importantly, are more compatible with the animal organism. The implants are made of an alloy of nickel and titanium in a proportion of 57:43. Now prostheses for people use mainly titanium, which is quite expensive. In addition, in dogs, titanium does not take well. Nickel cannot only reduce the cost of prostheses, but also increase their biocompatibility. From the nickel-titanium alloy, the guys plan to produce implants in anatomical proportions for different dog breeds.

“A similar technology has not been used anywhere”, said Dmitry Agarin. “Abroad, of course, dentistry for dogs is more developed, but there are no dog prostheses in the mass production. Our dentures will significantly extend dogs' performance life, help improve the aesthetic exterieur".

Developers hope that due to their simplicity and low cost, their dentures will be in demand in veterinary clinics. The guys have already found manufacturers, as well as two veterinary clinics in Moscow, where they are ready to use such implants. The main problem with the commercialization of this invention is that dental services for dogs in Russia are not developed in general. Now, students are studying the market, but have already faced the problem of professional training of veterinarians who can engage in dental prosthetics.

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