Oct 23, 2024
Help advance oral health: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is seeking U.S. dental manufacturers and other experts to participate in the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 106, Dentistry, Subcommittee (SC) 8, Dental Implants.
A Greater Influence on Global Dentistry: About ISO TC 106 and SC 8
Established in 1962, ISO TC 106 works on international standards that contribute to the quality and safety of products used in treatments by dental professionals, as well as hygiene products used by the public. The TC currently has nine subcommittees and has led the development of 180 published dental standards, ranging from dental terminology to oral hygiene products.
ISO TC 106 / SC 8, Dental Implants, guides standardization in oral health care relating to devices surgically implanted into bone and/or soft tissues in the oro-facial region, and related accessories, including terms and definitions; performance, safety, and specification requirements; and laboratory test methods. ANSI, the U.S. member body to ISO, holds the secretariat to SC 8. The American Dental Association (ADA) is the ANSI-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) administrator to ISO TC 106 and SC 8.
Proposed New Area of Standardization: Screwdriver Interfaces for Dental Implant Systems
A recent focus of TC 106 and SC 8 is a proposal for standardizing the screwdriver interface for endosseous dental implant systems. This proposal will be one of the topics discussed at this year's ISO TC 106 meeting being held in New Orleans in October. Standardization in this area would simplify patient treatment and contribute to patient safety by helping clinicians identify the appropriate driver for dental implant screws, particularly when patients present with dental implant components that the treating clinician did not place. It is anticipated that this activity would be conducted cooperatively by SC 8 and SC 4, Dental Instruments, for which ADA is the ANSI-accredited U.S. TAG administrator. The first activity will be to compile and categorize available information on the range of screwdriver designs in the market. The initiation of this activity came directly from the chair of ISO TC 106 as a request from the dental clinician community.
?It will be important in carrying out this mandate to carefully consider the needs of dental clinicians and the practical realities of endosseous dental implant system design. Therefore, participation of industry, dental laboratories, and the clinical community is crucial,? said Floyd Larson, chair of SC 8 and president of PaxMed International.
Get Involved in the U.S. TAG: Industry Voices Needed!
As SC 8 explores standardization for screwdriver interfaces for endosseous dental implant systems, the U.S. TAG to ISO TC 106 / SC 8 has identified the need and opportunity for increased participation by dental manufacturers to assure that standards developed are applicable to their use. Industry participation is critical in this work, as the proposed standard could have a significant impact on dental manufacturers in the U.S.
?The U.S. TAG represents the U.S. position and interests to the international standards community. We want to make sure that perspectives from the U.S. user, manufacturer, and trade interests are fully represented in these discussions. This is an opportunity for users and manufacturers who are not yet involved, but have a specific interest in this proposal (and others), to participate in the process,? said Chris Brown of Aclivi Consulting, one of the U.S. experts to SC 8 and the incoming chair of SC 8.
ANSI encourages all relevant U.S. stakeholders to contribute their expertise to this group and potentially help shape key aspects of dental manufacturing operations. Contact standards@ada.org or visit www.ada.org/dentalstandards for more information on how to get involved with the U.S. TAG.
More about ISO TC 106 / SC 8
ISO TC 106 / SC 8, Dental Implants, is responsible for the development of the widely used ISO 14801 standard on fatigue testing of dental implant systems. Currently, they are actively pursuing standards on dental implants and synthetic bone grafting materials, including the assessment of compatibility between dental implant system components manufactured by different companies.
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