Continuous Quality Improvement of Medical Equipments Based on Clinical Monitoring: A Case Study of Dental Implants

Dental implant has recently become one of the most viable treatment options for regaining the oral function and dental aesthetics compared with conventional fixed or removable dentures. Dental implants vary in material, dimensions, geometries, surface properties, and interface geometries. It has been reported that there has been a proliferation of manufacturers who produce implants using various materials and surface treatments, and the dentist needs to select from over 2,000 different dental implants and abutments in a specific treatment situation. Unfortunately, however, no metrics have been specifically identified for the purpose of quality assessment and selection of an appropriate dental implant. This study aims to provide practical guidelines for quality assessment of dental implant based on clinical data. Like other medical devices and materials, the superiority related to specific characteristics of the dental implant needs to be verified through extensive clinical studies. The procedures of clinical monitoring for dental implants have been proposed along with a case study to exemplify the usefulness of clinical monitoring for the purpose of continuous quality improvement in medical industry.