Stefan Holst: Angulated Screw Channel System (ASC) - from clinical needs and scientific data to new developments

The presentation gives an insight in how scientific data and clinical input can be used to develop and design new products and enhance and optimize existing products, to make treatment more predictable and safe. Dr Holst highlights specifically that in dentistry we usually use integrated product systems, such as the system implant-abutment-restoration. It is critical to use the original prefabricated precision system components, as they provide the intended function and handling of the system and support long-term performance. Dr Holst explains how the use of non-original, generic abutment components can significantly change the system handling and function characteristics and even lead to fracture of the implant. As an example how clinical feedback can lead to a new product development, Dr Holst presents the Angulated Screw-Channel System (ASC), which allows to change the axis of the screw access channel in relation to the implant axis by up to 25°. This way, the system allows to benefit from screw-retained designs even in anterior situations, where the screw access channel would otherwise come to lie in visible areas of the restoration. In posterior situations the ASC system facilitates screw manipulation in patients with low interarch distance or limited mouth opening.