If you already have a dental package on your CT scanner and believe that there may be a conflict of interest if IDT uses your hospital as a scanning site, please read on:

For dentists and surgeons involved in the world of Dental Implantology there are a number of imaging modalities that can be used to provide the essential information needed to develop a treatment plan. The traditional x-ray and the DPT/OPG facilities that many dentists have already in their practice are two of the available options, but will not provide the detail and accuracy necessary for planning difficult implant cases. The choice of which imaging modality is the most suitable is dependent on the clinical requirements of each individual case.

CT scans are becoming more and more commonly used for planning dental implants. Hospitals with dental packages on their CT scanners can produce high-quality reformatted images onto laser film. These images are commonly life-size, but require the use of a light box to view correctly.

IDT has been able to take this technology one step further by reformatting the CT data onto life-size Kodak Prints of photographic quality, allowing measurements directly from the images. Another benefit - and the most popular - that IDT can bring is the ability to read patient datasets directly onto dentists'/surgeons' own Personal Computers using SimPlant software.

SimPlant has the following advantages over hard copy prints:

• Fully interactive 3D views.
• Three-dimensional simulation of the final dental restoration, including implants, abutments and crowns.
• Accurate measurements of bone height, buccolingual width, and bone quality (from the CT numbers).
• Enhanced visualisation of important structures such as the ID nerve.
• Calculation of the volume of bone graft required for sinus lift procedures.
• Ability to obtain anatomical models and surgical drill guides.

Many hospitals find that working with IDT is a convenient and professional relationship, a source of shared information, and not least, a useful source of income. A hospital would have to invest in specialised hardware and software costing in the order of £50,000 to provide dentists with the services that IDT is currently providing - whereas to work with IDT costs no additional investment. If you have a Dental Package on your CT scanner that is an additional convenience - however it is not a requirement for working with IDT.

Working with IDT brings the additional flexibility to produce Kodak Prints, SimPlant datasets, anatomical models and surgical drill guides - with no additional investment required on the part of the hospital.