Dr. André Sakima & Dr. Jan Peter Ilg - ZAGA Live Training
Episode summary
In this ZAGA Centers Podcast episode, Dr. André Sakima Serrano and Dr. Jan Peter Ilg, the leading surgeons at ZAGA Center São Paulo, discuss their approach to zygomatic implant surgery and the ZAGA Live Patient Training Center they run in Brazil. Ilg observed Professor Brånemark placing zygomatic implants in Sweden in 1998; Sakima began in 2002 and followed Brånemark's 1992 São Paulo implants for ten years. In 2006 they published, in Portuguese, a concept close to Dr. Aparicio's extra-maxillary ZAGA approach. They detail their sub-sinus technique, elevating the sinus membrane and seating the implant platform without underlying bone support, with six-month CT scans showing new bone formation, a closed-compartment effect described by Chen in 2014. Their training has patients operated under general anesthesia in a hospital, with structured follow-up, giving participants supervised operating-room experience.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Jan Peter Ilg's interest in zygomatic implants dates to 1998, when he observed Professor Brånemark placing zygomatic implants in Sweden and later trained with him in Chile alongside Ruben Rosenberg.
- Dr. André Sakima began with zygomatic implants in 2002 during implant dentistry training in Bauru and performed a 10-year follow-up of implants Professor Brånemark placed in 1992.
- In 2006 Sakima and Ilg published, in a Portuguese-language journal, a concept similar to the extra-maxillary technique later formalized by Dr. Carlos Aparicio as the ZAGA Concept; the first major modification had been proposed by Professor Stella in 2000.
- In their sub-sinus approach, the sinus membrane is elevated and the zygomatic implant platform is placed beneath it with no bone support underneath, useful when the sinus is heavily pneumatized and the posterior ridge shows on smile.
- Six-month follow-up CT scans show bone formation around the implant neck in the sub-sinus technique, attributed to bone formation in closed compartments where a clot is present, an effect described by Chen in 2014.
- The ZAGA Live Patient Training Center in São Paulo operates on patients who cannot afford high-quality treatment, providing care through the ZAGA Center while giving participants supervised surgical experience under general anesthesia in a hospital setting.
- Follow-up protocol includes CT scans in the immediate post-op and at six months, weekly visits in the first month and monthly visits until six months, then yearly; across five completed training seasons all participants have been able to perform the surgeries in their own practices.
What you'll learn
- The extra-maxillary approach and how it maps onto Dr. Aparicio's ZAGA Concept and the ORIS success criteria
- The sub-sinus approach: elevating the membrane and placing the implant platform without bone support to manage severe pneumatization and the smile line
- Why bone forms in closed compartments (the Chen 2014 biological effect) and what six-month follow-up CT scans reveal
- How the ZAGA Live Patient Training Center bridges theory, hands-on models/cadavers, and solo operating-room proficiency
- Training zygomatic surgery under general anesthesia in a hospital setting, plus structured patient follow-up and mentorship for new surgeons
About the guests
Dr. André Sakima Serrano
Dr. André Sakima Serrano is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and one of the leading clinicians at ZAGA Center São Paulo, the first certified ZAGA Center in Brazil. He began working with zygomatic implants in 2002 during his implant dentistry training in Bauru, where he carried out a 10-year follow-up of implants Professor Brånemark had placed in 1992. He has worked alongside Dr. Jan Peter Ilg for about 20 years, co-authoring modifications to the technique and co-leading the ZAGA Live Patient Training Center in São Paulo.
Dr. Jan Peter Ilg
Dr. Jan Peter Ilg is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and a leading surgeon at ZAGA Center São Paulo. His interest in zygomatic implants dates to 1998, when he travelled to Sweden and observed Professor Brånemark placing zygomatic implants, later training with him in Chile alongside Ruben Rosenberg. He has since worked through the successive evolutions of placement technique, co-authored modifications published in Brazil, and co-leads the ZAGA Live Patient Training Center in São Paulo.
