New York University: NYU Dentistry Becomes One of the First Dental Schools in the World to Implement Robot-assisted Dental Implant Surgeries

NYU Dentistry’s Robert Glickman, right, shows Huzefa Talib the plan that will guide the robot in placing the implant into the patient’s jawbone.
New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) has become only the third U.S. dental school to acquire, install, and use two surgical robotic devices for dental implant surgeries.

These devices will provide an opportunity for the College’s pre- and postdoctoral students to learn how state of-the-art robotic technology, with its accuracy and precision during dental surgery, can augment and enhance clinical practice and patient care.

The robot-assisted surgical device, known as Yomi, was developed by Miami-based health care start-up Neocis. It is the first—and, to date, only—such device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for dental implant surgery. The system uses software to preoperatively plan dental implantation procedures and provides real-time visual and physical intraoperative guidance to achieve the plan. Yomi is intended for use in adult patients missing some or all teeth who qualify for dental implants.

“We are extremely pleased to utilize the power of robotics to ensure that our pre- and postdoctoral students are prepared to become leaders in the field,” said Charles N. Bertolami, Herman Robert Fox Dean of NYU Dentistry.

Using the Yomi system, the provider performing the surgical procedure first creates a virtual plan for the placement of a dental implant using detailed 3D scans of the patient’s mouth. The system then uses physical cues to guide the provider along the precise implementation of that plan—but is also able to adjust dynamically to accommodate mid-procedure changes. Yomi augments a provider’s “feel,” giving real-time feedback via haptic technology to guide a provider along the treatment plan, but the provider controls the dental handpiece at all times. By design, the system complements, rather than overrides, a provider’s clinical expertise.

“Robotic technology is truly a game-changer for dental surgery,” said Robert Glickman, associate dean for clinical affairs and hospital relations and professor and chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYU Dentistry. “Successfully placing dental implants requires careful preoperative planning and a high degree of accuracy and precision to avoid critical anatomical structures and provide the best outcome for the patient.” Together with Dr. Glickman, Huzefa Talib, clinical associate professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery, and Edgard El Chaar, clinical associate professor of periodontology & implant dentistry, both at NYU Dentistry, were instrumental in bringing this technology to the College.

With the acquisition of Yomi, NYU Dentistry continues to introduce pioneering new dental technologies into its predoctoral and postdoctoral education programs.