Shenzhen Children's Hospital Announces Patent Transfer of a Novel Pediatric Space Maintainer for RMB 10,000

Jan 30, 2026 08:00 CST Updated 08:00

Recently, Shenzhen Children's Hospital released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, proposing to transfer its patent rights through assignment.“Dental Space Maintainer”The relevant patents were assigned to the industry partner for a transfer amount of10,000 yuan. The inventor of this patent isZhong Wanjing。

Zhong Wanjin:Associate Chief Physician, Department of Stomatology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital; Master’s Supervisor. She received her Master’s degree from Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University in 2008, and completed advanced training in the Department of Orthodontics at West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, and at the Orthognathic and Orthodontic Center of the Craniofacial Surgery Department at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Her primary research focus is on early intervention for malocclusion in children. She currently serves as a member of the Pediatric Stomatology Professional Committee of Guangdong Province; a member of the Oral Digital Materials Technology Management Professional Committee of the Guangdong Hospital Association; a member of the Second Stomatology Professional Committee of the Guangdong Primary Health Care Association; a Director of the Stomatologists Branch of the Shenzhen Medical Doctor Association; an Executive Director of the Pediatric Facial Management Professional Committee of the Shenzhen Medical Doctor Association; a member of the Orthodontics Professional Committee of the Shenzhen Stomatological Association; a member of the Pediatric Stomatology Professional Committee of the Shenzhen Stomatological Association; and a member of the Stomatology Professional Committee of the Shenzhen Female Physicians Association.

This invention is a medical device designed to address the issue of premature loss of primary teeth in children. Its core function is to maintain the space left by the early loss of primary teeth, thereby creating conditions for the normal eruption of successor permanent teeth.

Dual Pain Points of Efficiency Shortcomings and Adaptation Limitations in Space Maintenance for Premature Loss of Primary Teeth in Children

Space Maintenance Following Premature Loss of Primary Teeth in ChildrenIt is a critical step in ensuring normal maxillofacial development and preventing malalignment of permanent teeth. With increasing parental awareness of children’s oral health and the advancement of standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment, market demand for efficient, well-adapted, and convenient space maintenance solutions continues to grow. However, existing space maintenance techniques suffer from numerous core pain points that severely compromise clinical outcomes and patient experience, failing to meet the specific needs of pediatric dental care.

Conventional techniques face core clinical bottlenecks. On one hand, the prolonged fabrication process leads to loss of space. The currently mainstream band-and-loop space maintainers require taking impressions, pouring stone models, and sending them to dental laboratories for customized fabrication of bands and wires. This entire workflow is time-consuming. Since edentulous spaces in children diminish rapidly, it is common for the space to have partially narrowed or even closed by the time the appliance is completed, failing to achieve optimal space maintenance. On the other hand, limited applicability prevents use in some pediatric patients. When a second primary molar is prematurely lost and the first permanent molar has not fully erupted, the distal aspect of the tooth crown is often covered by gingival tissue, preventing proper seating of the stainless steel band used in traditional band-and-loop maintainers. Consequently, these patients struggle to receive effective space maintenance, thereby facing risks of ectopic eruption of permanent teeth and malocclusion.

From the perspective of clinical application scenarios, existing technologies still exhibit significant practical limitations. Traditional retainers rely on pre-fabricated sizes or custom fabrication using plaster models for band adaptation. If no suitable pre-fabricated band size is available, the customization cycle is further prolonged. Moreover, band installation requires tooth grinding, which increases discomfort for pediatric patients. The precision of wire bending depends heavily on the technician’s experience, often resulting in uneven support forces and poor fit with the teeth, thereby compromising retention stability. Meanwhile, traditional treatment protocols require multiple follow-up visits—from impression taking and waiting for fabrication to fitting and adjustments. This not only increases the time burden for parents but also tends to induce resistance in children due to repeated medical visits, thus reducing treatment compliance.

Furthermore, existing technologies fail to balance adaptability with operational convenience. Ring-style structures are difficult to assemble and demand a high level of clinical proficiency from dentists. Additionally, the fit between metal materials and teeth is limited, which may lead to loosening or displacement during long-term wear. Some retainers, due to irrational design, may impede the eruption of primary molars or exert uneven pressure on adjacent teeth, causing issues such as tooth sensitivity and gingival discomfort. These problems collectively hinder the effective maintenance of space following premature loss of primary teeth in children."Prone to gap formation over time, poor fit limiting applicability, and cumbersome operation leading to suboptimal user experience"the dilemma, there is an urgent clinical need for a space maintenance solution that can be rapidly fabricated, offers broad adaptability, and ensures comfortable wear, thereby addressing pain points across the entire workflow from diagnostic and treatment efficiency to application scenarios.

“Chairside Rapid Fabrication and Adaptation + Precise, Long-Lasting Support”: A Dual Innovation to Solve the Challenge of Space Maintenance in Children with Premature Loss of Primary Teeth

Addressing the three major industry pain points of long fabrication cycles, narrow application scenarios, and insufficient support stability that have long plagued space maintenance for premature loss of primary teeth in children, the research and development team at Shenzhen Children’s Hospital has innovatively introduced the “Dental Space Maintainer” technology. This technology is based on“Chairside Rapid Fabrication + Flexible and Precise Support”as its core advantage, throughArc-Shaped Plate and Adjustable Support Rodsynergistic structure, constructing a full-process solution that covers adaptive adjustment, chairside fabrication, and stable maintenance, effectively overcoming the clinical limitations of traditional loop-type space maintainers and providing a new paradigm for space maintenance in pediatric dental care that is more efficient, broadly adaptable, and comfortable to wear.

This technology has achieved“Chairside Immediate Completion”: A Revolution in Diagnosis and Treatment, fundamentally resolveGap Loss Issues Caused by Production Delays. Traditional loop-style space maintainers rely on impression-taking, pouring of plaster models, and outsourcing to dental laboratories for the customization of bands and wires, a process that takes days or even weeks. Since edentulous spaces in children close rapidly, the space is often partially closed by the time the appliance is delivered. This technique eliminates the need for impressions and laboratory involvement; the clinician can complete the bending of the arch wire, assembly of the support structure, and bonding and placement during a single visit. The entire procedure is completed in one appointment, significantly shortening the intervention window, maximizing preservation of the original space, reducing the burden of multiple visits for parents, and improving treatment compliance in pediatric patients.

In terms of structural design, the curved plate is directly adhered to the buccal surface of the adjacent tooth. Its width is no less than 80% of the mesial proximal width of the tooth to be supported, and its height is no less than 30% of the crown height, ensuring sufficient contact area. The contact surface features a grid-like texture, which significantly enhances resin bond strength and prevents loosening or displacement during long-term wear. Overflow holes are incorporated internally to expel excess adhesive during bonding, thereby ensuring a tight fit while reducing foreign body sensation and gingival irritation in pediatric patients. This results in a chairside-fabricated retainer that combines clinical reliability with wearing comfort.

More importantly, through structural innovation and parameter optimization, this technology establishes a support system that is flexibly adaptable, stable, and durable. Traditional band-type space maintainers often fail to seat properly when the distal aspect of the crown is covered by gingival tissue in cases of premature loss of the second primary molar before the full eruption of the first permanent molar, thereby missing the critical window for intervention. This technique completely eliminates the band design.Adopting a non-invasive adhesive curved plate combined with a support bar structure spanning the edentulous area:The two ends of the support rod are inserted into the two hollow tubes at the distal end of the curved plate. The insertion depth can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual edentulous space, eliminating the need for tooth preparation, greatly simplifying the operational procedure, and significantly broadening the range of eligible patients—particularly suitable forHigh-risk pediatric patients with insufficient eruption of permanent molars.

Key mechanical parameters are scientifically configured: the distance between the two hollow tubes is set at 0.6 times the width of the tooth requiring support, ensuring uniform distribution of supportive force; the overall distance from the hollow tubes and supporting rods to the tissue surface in the edentulous area is maintained at 0.5–1 mm, which not only reserves sufficient space for the subsequent eruption of primary molars or permanent teeth to avoid hindering normal development but also precisely maintains the space width; the supporting rods are arranged symmetrically to balance the forces exerted on adjacent teeth on both sides, preventing dental tilting caused by unilateral pressure. Furthermore, a spring structure incorporated within the hollow tubes effectively prevents the supporting rods from loosening or displacing during mastication or functional movements, thereby ensuring structural stability during long-term wear and achieving comprehensive protection throughout the entire cycle, from prevention of space loss to the successful eruption of permanent teeth.

At the clinical application level, this technology demonstrates significant operational convenience and value for widespread adoption. The entire procedure requires neither complex equipment nor technical support from dental technicians; it relies only on conventional bonding materials and simple instruments. Clinicians can master the technique after short-term training, substantially lowering the technical threshold. Its modular design and standardized components facilitate large-scale manufacturing and dissemination in primary care settings. It is suitable for common clinical scenarios such as the premature loss of a single primary first or second molar, and is not restricted by the eruption status of permanent teeth, making it applicable to pediatric dental clinics at all levels as well as pediatric dentistry departments in general hospitals. Most importantly, the procedure does not require removal of healthy tooth structure, aligning with the principles of pediatric oral health care."Minimally Invasive, Protective, and Prevention-First" Core Philosophy。

From a long-term clinical perspective, this technology effectively prevents secondary malocclusions—such as impaction of permanent teeth, tilting of adjacent teeth, over-eruption of opposing teeth, and occlusal disorders—by timely and precisely maintaining the edentulous space. This significantly reduces the likelihood and complexity of future orthodontic interventions, thereby alleviating the long-term medical burden on families. Furthermore, the “single-visit, immediate placement” model not only enhances the patient experience but also drives the transformation of pediatric space management from “passive remediation” to “active prevention,” facilitating the advancement of pediatric dental care into a new stage of high-quality development characterized by efficiency, precision, and minimally invasive techniques.

Parallel Advancement of Traditional Upgrades and Innovative Breakthroughs: Clinical Translation Focuses on Precision Adaptation

The field of space maintenance for premature loss of primary teeth in children has formed a competitive landscape characterized by “optimization and upgrading of traditional technologies + R&D of innovative structures.” Core participants include enterprises deeply engaged in dental medical devices, as well as research teams from universities and hospitals. The technical routes mainly revolve aroundDigital Transformation of Classic Wire Loop Retainers and Research on Novel Bandless Structures, exhibiting differentiated development trends in terms of production efficiency, applicable scenarios, and material applications, with most technologies currently in the stage of clinical validation or optimization.

Peking University Research TeamFocusing on the digital upgrade of traditional band-and-loop retainers, this study conducted a three-dimensional finite element analysis of digital band-and-loop space maintainers for primary tooth loss. The core objective was to enhance the mechanical stability and fit of traditional retainers through digital technology. This approach involves constructing digital models of the pediatric mandible and edentulous areas using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans, followed by the creation of integrated crown-retained and band-and-loop retainer models with unified coronal retention and loop structures using specialized design software. The adaptability of three materials—cobalt-chromium alloy, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), and titanium alloy—was evaluated. The results demonstrated that digital band-and-loop retainers effectively distribute occlusal forces. Notably, retainers fabricated from PEEK significantly reduced stress on abutment teeth and exhibited the lowest maximum shear stress on the internal tissue surface, showing clinical superiority in cases of second primary molar loss.

Sichuan University Research TeamIn "Current Status and Analysis of the Clinical Application of Digital Technology in Stomatology," it is explicitly stated that the four mainstream types of space maintainers currently used in clinical practice—band-and-loop, lingual arch, transpalatal arch, and removable—have all undergone digital upgrades. Through clinical practice, the team has verified that professional dental digital design software, such as 3Shape and Weishi (Shandong), can be used to construct precise three-dimensional models of the edentulous areas in pediatric patients. These models are then combined with metal 3D printing or non-metal CNC milling technologies to achieve integrated fabrication of the space maintainers. Compared with traditional manual fabrication, digital solutions significantly improve the fit accuracy and mechanical stability of the maintainers, reducing errors caused by manual bending and polishing. This approach is particularly suitable for meeting personalized needs in complex cases of tooth loss. Currently, this technology has been implemented in numerous specialized stomatological hospitals across China.

ArtistaOrthoAs a specialized enterprise focused on orthodontics and pediatric dental instruments, the company has launched a range of space maintainer products that cover the full spectrum of clinical needs. Core offerings include band-and-loop space maintainers, removable functional maintainers, fixed space restorers, and distal shoe space maintainers. The band-and-loop products are made from medical-grade stainless steel, retaining the classic band-plus-loop structure to suit most cases of premature loss of a single primary tooth. The removable functional maintainers combine space maintenance with guidance of jaw development, making them suitable for children with multiple missing primary teeth or those requiring early functional intervention. Leveraging standardized production processes, the company achieves large-scale supply and reaches grassroots dental institutions across China through dental instrument distributors. Product specifications and applicable scenarios are clearly indicated in the official product center, and clinical application feedback has been stable.

In summary, this technical solution offers an efficient and practical new approach to addressing the challenges of efficiency, adaptability, and stability in space maintenance for premature loss of primary teeth in children, through innovative structural design and on-site adaptation techniques.