Dr. Marco Rinaldi, Speaker at Edentulism2023
Episode summary
In this ZAGA Centers Podcast episode, Bologna oral surgeon Dr. Marco Rinaldi discusses treatment of the extreme atrophic maxilla ahead of his Edentulism2023 lecture in Gran Canaria. Placing implants since 1989, Rinaldi progressed from autologous bone grafting (mandibular symphysis, ramus, and iliac crest) through computer-guided sinus and reconstructive surgery to zygomatic implants and, using bone-supported guides, the zygoma quad. Because extreme atrophy can force zygomatic implants into positions too palatal or far from the bone, raising prosthetic, sinus, and soft-tissue complication risk, he adopted the AMSJI, a patient-specific additively manufactured subperiosteal jaw implant inspired by Maurice Mommaerts's work. Rinaldi presents AMSJI as an immediate-function alternative for advanced maxillary atrophy whose removal, unlike a zygomatic implant, leaves no serious bone defect. His central message: master every technique to select the one most suitable for each patient.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Marco Rinaldi began placing dental implants in 1989 and formerly headed the oral surgery department at Maggiore Hospital in Bologna before dedicating himself to private practice.
- The AMSJI is an Additively Manufactured Subperiosteal Jaw Implant: a custom-made, patient-specific implant used in the maxilla as an alternative to bone grafts and zygoma quads for extreme maxillary atrophy.
- In extreme atrophy, zygomatic implants risk being positioned too palatal or too far from the maxillary bone surface, exposing patients to prosthetic, sinus, and soft-tissue complications.
- Rinaldi and collaborators published a protocol using a bone-supported surgical guide to position zygomatic implants, particularly for the difficult-to-plan quad technique.
- The AMSJI provides immediate masticatory function with a fixed prosthesis, and its removal in case of failure is simple and generally leaves no serious bone defect, unlike zygomatic implant removal.
- Rinaldi's Springer Nature book on the atrophic maxilla covers all current techniques, with the zygomatic implant chapter written by Dr. Carlos Aparicio.
- Rinaldi argues clinicians must know every treatment option because a patient is a complex entity, so the most suitable technique depends on the individual's health, needs, and expectations, not on morphology alone.
What you'll learn
- When extreme maxillary atrophy makes a four-implant zygomatic quad hard to plan safely
- AMSJI (Additively Manufactured Subperiosteal Jaw Implant) as a patient-specific, immediate-function alternative
- Using bone-supported surgical guides to position zygomatic implants
- How autologous bone grafting (symphysis, ramus, iliac crest) compares to modern patient-specific solutions
- Matching technique to patient health, needs, and expectations rather than defaulting to one method
About the guest
Dr. Marco Rinaldi
Dr. Marco Rinaldi graduated in medicine and surgery from the University of Bologna and began placing dental implants in 1989. After heading the oral surgery department at Maggiore Hospital in Bologna's public health service, he moved fully into private practice, working as an oral surgeon in his own dental clinic and at the Villalba private hospital (GVM Care & Research) in Bologna. He is a pioneer of computer-guided reconstructive and zygomatic surgery and a member of the international working group on the AMSJI subperiosteal implant.
Credentials: MD DDS, oral surgeon, Bologna, Italy; author of 'Computer-Guided Applications for Dental Implants, Bone Grafting and Reconstructive Surgery' and 'Implants and Oral Rehabilitation of the Atrophic Maxilla: Advanced Techniques and Technologies' (Springer Nature); member, International Working Group on AMSJI
