DentalStar and UDIC-DAA readied ground-breaking digital dentistry technology for Singapore, China and beyond

(25 August 2021, Singapore )

Singapore digital dentistry research and investment company, DentalStar, together with its China distribution platform partner UDIC-DAA, are ready to launch ground-breaking dental treatment products based on revolutionary technology developed in A*Star IMRE and A*StartCentral incubated start-up.

Digital dentistry is an increasingly popular concept for dental treatment and involves the use of computer aided software and equipment in treatment.  The standard protocol is :

Patient visit à Digital Imaging  à  Computer-aided design (CAD) à computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) à clinical treatment

3D3 Permanent Crown Materials（CAM）

The first innovative nano-technology resulted in the 3D3 permanent crown printing material, developed by Star3D Material Development Pte. Ltd. utilising A*Star IMRE founded photopolymersation technology.  This brought  a revolutionary printable polymer composite that enabled direct print-out permanent crowns in dental clinics.

Permanent crown is a cap that dentist places on a damaged tooth for protection and aesthetics purpose, it can also be shaped to replace a missing tooth, or several missing teeth.  Currently, permanent crowns can be made from metal such as gold, or milled from composite material such as Zirconia for biocompatibility, hardness and durability.   Permanent crowns are usually produced in labs with reference to dental models provided by dentists.

3D3 permanent crown material boasts the highest value in terms of flexural strength, hardness, elastic module and tensile strength compared to similar products.   Its flexural strength is more than 145MPa, while products available in the market usually measure between 42-112MPa. 

Dr. Fuke Wang, nano-material scientist who developed this new formula, said, “The 3D3 permanent crown material is the result of successful commercialisation for dental treatment based on A*Star IMRE developed technology.    With reference to polymerisation knowledge gained in IMRE research, Star3D researchers successfully created a permanent dental crown formula that excels in hardness, elastic module, flexural strength and tensile strength while 100% bio-compatible to the human body.”

Mr Baiqun Chen, General Manager of Star3D said, “Currently, it takes 3-7 days for labs to deliver a permanent crown upon receiving dentist order.   3D3 permanent crown material, partnering with 3D printers, can shorten the delivery to 30 mins, hence reducing the time for dental treatment and well improve patient experience.”

Star3D has developed a 3D3 temporary crown material last year, which is now ready for sale with registration completed in Singapore and China soon.

Star3D is established in Singapore since 2018 under partnership between Singapore DentalStar R&D Investment Company Pte. Ltd. and A*ccelerate Technologies Pte. Ltd. (a commercial division of A*Star).  Through the JV partnership, Star3D is able to license R&D innovations developed in A*Star IMRE and commercialise it to produce new printable polymer for dental treatment.   Star3D is headquartered in Singapore and has a production facility in Shanghai China for its 3D3 branded digital dentistry printing solution.  The full 3D3 portfolio now includes the 3D3 MINI printer, dental model materials, surgical guide materials, temporary crown materials and the soon-to-be-released permanent crown materials. 

Glissade TOUCH™ impression intraoral scanner 

The Glissade TOUCH™ impression intraoral scanner will be ready for preview later this year in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.

Dental treatment for missing or broken tooth usually involves taking moulds of the teeth.  The traditional approach usually begins with mould taking using materials giving an unpleasant smell and a sticky feeling in the patient’s mouth.  The mould was then converted into a gypsum model for examination and as a result bought in aberrations.   To increase mould taking accuracy, optical scanners were introduced to dentists around 16 years ago.  Despite a higher accuracy, teeth scanning was not easy to master and intra-oral scanners command a very high cost to date.

Glissade TOUCH™ is a A*StartCentral incubated start-up with MIT patented TOUCH™ SCAN technology and locally developed TOUCH™ scan material.  The scanner is equipped with a unique disposable gel-pack that contacts the teeth during scan, enabling an excellent sense of TOUCH to dentist during mould capture. 

Vincent Yuen, Director of Glissade Dental Pte. Ltd. said, “Glissade TOUCH™ offers dentists better control during scanning and delivers fast and accurate result in a short period of time.  Dentists participating in our clinical researches in Singapore and China confirmed learning Glissade scanning was easy and the TOUCH™ gel-pack delivered responsive results into the computer generated 3D images.”

Glissade Dental is building an assembly plant in Shanghai China and expects to begin mass production in 2022.  Sales in China and other SE Asia countries is expected to begin in 2022-2023.

Vincent Yuen continued, “We believe digital dental impression will be practised in every dental clinic in the next 5-10 years.  We would like Glissade TOUCH™ widely adapted and we’ll introduce a competitive marketing strategy on this.” 

Glissade TOUCH™ features a unique disposable scanning tip and is 100% safe from cross-infection, which is of key concern to dentists and patients during covid-19 pandemic.

Glissade TOUCH™ is advised by a board of leading scientists, engineers and dentists from USA, Singapore and China.  The founding scientific team also consists of founding members of the 1^st commercialised digital dental scanner in 2003 and therefore well understands the needs of dentists and patients.

AI based orthodontics and implant design (CAD)

DentalStar is entering into a research collaboration with Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology for the development of AI empowered digital dentistry software for more efficient dental treatment planning.

The development is divided into 2 stages, with stage 1 to develop a software that would allow CAD teeth alignment planning for clear aligner, and bracket-based orthodontics.  Stage two, which is under planning, will develop implant surgical guide design for tooth implants.

The AI programmes will be tested extensively in DentalStar’s and UDIC distribution network of clinics and hospitals before launch.  The software will become an important piece in the DentalStar digital dentistry protocol.

About DentalStar

DentalStar is a R&D investment company set up in Singapore to develop and market innovative dental products.  DentalStar later set up Star3D Singapore in collaboration with A*Star Accelerate Technology to focus on dental 3D printing solutions.

DentalStar continues its pursuit in new digital dental technology and will start a new software project that will help dentists design orthodontic and implant treatments using computers.

About UDIC-DAA

UDIC-DAA is a distribution group based in China with business operations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.  It is also the marketing partner for 3D3 and Glissade TOUCH™.  UDIC-DAA’s product representation ranges from dental scanners to 3D printing, digital orthodontics, digital implantology and lab design.  It also carries a number of disinfection products for clinics and hospitals.

About UDIC

Universe Dental Investment Company (UDIC) is set up by a group of professional dental marketers and investors in 2017.    It is committed to develop a world class dental logistics platform across China with proprietary patented products it distributes.  It has a distribution network based in Shanghai, a disinfectant manufacturing facility, an orthodontics company and 2 experience centres in Guangzhou and Shanghai.  UDIC is a strategic partner of DentalStar.