The ImplantMED is an electric surgical handpiece system manufactured in Austria by W&H and distributed in the United States by A-dec Corporation. ImplantMED is primarily designed for implantology and consists of a console, micromotor/cord combination, foot pedal, and a variety of straight or contra-angle handpieces. The unit features five factory pre-set programs. Two of the programs are for ancillary surgical procedures and require 1:1 or 1:2.7 speed-increasing handpiece attachments. Three of the programs are for the various stages of implant treatment and require 20:1 speed-reducing attachments. The front panel display window shows the rpm and torque. The ImplantMED features an integrated irrigation system with pump, which provides external sterile irrigation to the surgical site. Manual irrigation may be used in lieu of this system. The foot control has a motor-switch, pump-switch, progam-switch, and forward/reverse-switch. The sealed, brushless micromotor is advertised as providing seven Newton-centimeters of torque in an available speed range of 300 to 40,000 rpm. The ImplantMED, adjustable from 5 to 50 Ncm, is said to be able to provide precise and constant torque for implant procedures.
Only W&H handpiece attachments may be used with the ImplantMED. The following handpiece attachments are available through A-dec: WS-92 E/3 1:2.7 contra-angle, WS-75 E/KM 20:1 contra-angle, and the S-11 1:1 straight surgical and S-9 1:1 and S-12 1:2 angled surgical handpieces. All external and internal components are said to be made of high-quality stainless steel. The contra-angles have push-button chucks and the straight handpieces have single-handed lever chucks. The head on the contra-angle handpieces can be positioned at 90º steps. All handpieces are equipped for external irrigation.
The ImplantMED console is 82 x 255 x 270 mm. The motor cable is available in 1.8 m (standard) or 3.5 m lengths, and the unit is available in 115 or 230 V, 50/60 Hz.
Evaluators found the ImplantMED system easy to set up and operate. They appreciated the different handpiece options, especially the surgical contra-angle with 90º rotatable head. There were no reported problems with overheating of handpieces and the evaluators found the handpieces to be very quiet. The integrated irrigation system was generally preferred over hand-irrigation, and evaluators found it easy to use. The durable foot control, with motor on/off, irrigation pump on/off, program, and forward/reverse switch, allowed hands-free operation. The maintenance-free motor, motor support cradle, and cord were all autoclavable, and the unit included a convenient sterilization cassette with protective autoclave cap.
Since this unit is designed primarily for implants, it may not be the best choice as an all-around surgical system. The integrated irrigation pump requires proprietary, multiple component tubing which may not be available on short notice, or if the company goes out of business. The owner’s manual does not define the duty-cycle (recommended time-of-use parameters), though none of the evaluators reported overheating.
This review has been adapted from the DECS website. The DECS has no formal association with Dentalcompare or with vendors listed on dentalcompare.com. The DECS does not specifically endorse any particular product or vendor and is provided for informational purposes only.
