Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital to Transfer 'Full-Arch Immediate Temporary Half-Guide' Patent for RMB 120,000
Recently, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (hereinafter referred to as “Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital”) issued an announcement regarding the proposed transfer of a utility model patent for a “Half-Process Surgical Guide for Full-Arch Implant-Supported Temporary Dentures.” The inventor of this patent is Dr. Wang Zhen, an attending physician in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, who has long been dedicated to technological innovations in implant-based rehabilitation for oral and maxillofacial defects. The transferee is Shanghai Huifeng Dental Technology Co., Ltd., a company specializing in dental prosthesis fabrication and digital implant restoration solutions.
This patent was valued at RMB 99,000 by Shanghai Kedong Asset Appraisal Co., Ltd. After being publicly listed on the Shanghai Technology Exchange, the sole prospective transferee identified was Shanghai Huifeng Dental Technology Co., Ltd., with a listing price of RMB 120,000.
Dental arch defects and edentulism are prevalent oral health issues among middle-aged and elderly populations. These conditions not only directly impair masticatory function and facial aesthetics but may also predispose patients to complications such as periodontal tissue disorders and temporomandibular joint disorders, thereby significantly affecting their quality of life.
As a significant technological advancement in the field of dental implantology, digital dental implantation leverages 3D scanning technology to accurately capture patients' oral anatomical data and construct a three-dimensional virtual oral model within a computer system. Based on this digital model, clinicians can preoperatively plan the position, angle, and depth of implant placement, enabling visual simulation and precise treatment planning. This approach effectively reduces intraoperative uncertainty, significantly enhances surgical precision, minimizes surgical trauma, and shortens postoperative recovery time, thereby offering a superior restorative option for patients with partial or complete tooth loss.
The currently prevalent clinical protocol of “shared-retention-pin digital half-course positioning guide + prefabricated provisional restoration” constitutes a fully digital workflow for one-stage, full-arch immediate implant rehabilitation. Centered on the common retention pin positions, this technique achieves unified alignment between the provisional restoration and the half-course guide. Following implant placement under the guidance of the digital surgical guide, immediate restoration is accomplished by reseating the provisional restoration via the retention pins. Although mainstream implant manufacturers have introduced mature digital half-course guide systems and accompanying software, significant limitations remain in their clinical application.
The primary issue is a deficiency in precision control: significant errors are prone to occur during the seating of retention pins for provisional restorations and the connection of provisional abutments after guide-guided implant placement. This may prevent the proper seating of provisional restorations or lead to evident occlusal discrepancies postoperatively. Secondly, there are limitations to clinical adoption: original manufacturer positioning guides remain prohibitively expensive and exhibit strong technological proprietary barriers, thereby raising the threshold and cost of clinical application. Meanwhile, the discrete design logic separating surgical guides from provisional restorations further increases the likelihood of systemic errors and exacerbates the financial burden on patients, making it difficult to simultaneously meet the dual demands of full-arch implant patients for both restorative precision and cost-effectiveness.
This patent addresses the core pain points of traditional full-arch implant restoration solutions through multi-dimensional technological innovations, with specific advantages reflected in the following three aspects:
First, to achieve an integrated design of surgical guides and provisional restorations.This design is directly guided by the occlusal relationship of the provisional restoration, thereby eliminating at its source the systematic errors associated with the traditional workflow step of “transferring from guide-guided implant placement to the seating position of the provisional restoration.” It significantly enhances the accuracy and success rate of translating virtual treatment plans into clinical practice, effectively preventing complications such as difficulty in prosthesis seating or occlusal discrepancies caused by errors.
Second, innovative design of multiple types of guide components to adapt to different clinical scenarios.Among these, the removable guide component not only facilitates guided implant placement under the guidance of a provisional restoration throughout the entire procedure but also connects seamlessly with subsequent temporary titanium bases, thereby eliminating the cumbersome need for repositioning secondary provisional restorations and enhancing treatment efficiency. In contrast, the fixed guide component is specifically designed for conventional full-arch implant scenarios with adequate interocclusal distance, meeting diverse clinical needs through differentiated design and improving technical applicability.
Third, balancing cost-effectiveness with treatment safety to optimize the overall restorative experience.On one hand, compared with proprietary closed surgical guides, this design significantly reduces treatment costs and expenses, offering greater economic viability for clinical adoption. On the other hand, by incorporating retention components, it markedly enhances the stability of temporary restorations during the implantation process. Furthermore, precise positioning via drill guide holes ensures accurate implant placement direction, minimizes surgical risks, and ultimately achieves a dual improvement in both the efficiency and safety of full-arch implant temporary restoration.
In the domestic market, the research and development of full-arch implant surgical guides is primarily driven by a collaborative “enterprise + university” model. In addition to the patents transferred in this transaction, Shanghai Huifeng Dental Technology Co., Ltd. possesses independently developed technologies, including the “Gaibo Surgical Guide” and a chairside immediate restoration system for dental implants. The “Gaibo Surgical Guide” is equipped with transverse telescopic components and elastic pads, which enhance the fit and adaptability for full-arch implant procedures. The chairside immediate restoration system integrates intraoral scanning and 3D printing functionalities, establishing a complete closed-loop workflow from “guide-guided surgery” to “rapid fabrication of temporary restorations.” According to company disclosures, the system has been applied in over 8,000 clinical cases to date.
The “Full-Arch Sequential Combination Guide for Terminal Dentition,” developed by Peking University, addresses the challenges of difficult insertion and low positioning accuracy associated with conventional guides through a design featuring localization via remaining teeth and retention using alveolar bone mini-implants. This technology was granted a national invention patent in 2019, and efforts are currently underway to advance the technological iteration toward fully 3D-printed metal guides and to develop dedicated design software.
Sichuan University filed an invention patent application for the “Multi-functional Surgical Guide for Immediate Full-Arch Implant Restoration” in February 2025 (currently pending, not yet granted). This device integrates composite functionalities such as retention mechanisms and osteotomy site marking, with the design objective of reducing surgical duration. The technology is currently in the preclinical validation phase.
Beijing Daqing Xige Technology Co., Ltd.’s Simple Guide digital implant surgical guide, which enables personalized customization based on CAD/CAM technology and forms an integrated solution with the company’s self-developed No. I dental implant, has achieved large-scale clinical application.
Shanghai Ouye Dental Technology Co., Ltd. was granted a patent for the “Full-Arch Dental Implant Surgical Guide Kit” in March 2024. The guide system is divided into four modules: base guide, positioning guide, surgical guide, and implant placement guide. It incorporates fixation pin design to prevent intraoperative deviation and is currently in the small-batch clinical trial phase.
The international market focuses on the maturation of surgical guide technology and the improvement of clinical implementation efficiency:
Zimmer Biomet, a German company, is one of the leading implant suppliers in the U.S. market. Its dental implant products cater to both premium and mass markets, with particular strengths in full-arch restoration (e.g., All-on-4® technology).
Nobel Biocare’s NobelGuide surgical guide integrates preoperative planning software, 3D-printed guides, and postoperative monitoring systems, supporting remote design services. The company has partnered with Shanghai Huifeng Dental Technology Co., Ltd. to establish an original manufacturer printing center in China.
Align Technology’s iTero Digital Surgical Guide, generated from real-time intraoral scanning data, is currently planned to incorporate an AI-powered preoperative planning module.
The full-arch implant biocompatible guide developed by the European Dental Technology Alliance (EDTA) is made from degradable biomaterials and incorporates antimicrobial coating technology. The product entered human clinical trials in 2025 and is expected to be ready for commercial launch by 2027.