Dr. André Sakima and Dr. Jan Peter Ilg, ZAGA Center Sao Paolo, BR
Key takeaways
- ZAGA Center Sao Paulo was the first ZAGA Center established in Brazil and is led by two surgeons, Dr. Andre Sakima Serrano and Dr. Jan Peter Ilg.
- Dr. Jan Peter Ilg trained under Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark in Gothenburg and Chile and helped place some of the first zygomatic implants in Brazil around 1999-2000.
- Zygomatic implant treatment should be planned from the outset with the final prosthetic result in mind, requiring surgeons and prosthodontists to understand each other's fields.
- The team credits Professor Carlos Aparicio with turning modifications of the original technique into a full classification and outcome-assessment system, formalized as the ZAGA Concept.
- The Sao Paulo team favors graftless solutions after experiencing complications from hip and calvaria bone grafts, and uses All-on-4 to reduce the number of zygomatic implants needed.
- Zygomatic implants briefly became popular in Brazil around 2000 but developed a bad reputation due to complications and poor technique before returning as a more refined treatment.
- The doctors advise that zygomatic implants be performed only by well-trained surgeons with substantial implant experience, ideally learning alongside a mentor and prioritizing quality over quantity of cases.
What you'll learn
- Why zygomatic treatment planning must start with the prosthetic result in mind
- Building a coordinated surgeon-prosthodontist team for full-arch rehabilitation
- How the ZAGA Concept systematized minimally invasive, patient-specific zygomatic surgery
- Choosing graftless solutions over bone grafts to avoid donor-site complications
- Training pathways into zygomatic implants: mentorship, courses, and quality over quantity
About the guests
Dr. Andre Sakima Serrano
Dr. Andre Sakima Serrano is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and one of the two lead surgeons at ZAGA Center Sao Paulo, the first ZAGA Center in Brazil. He began his career in perio-implant work before pursuing a maxillofacial residency at the urging of his mentor and partner Dr. Jan Peter Ilg, with whom he has worked since 2004. He is specialized in zygomatic implants, orthognathic surgery, and TMJ surgery, and lectures internationally on atrophic maxilla rehabilitation.
Dr. Jan Peter Ilg
Dr. Jan Peter Ilg is a pioneering oral and maxillofacial surgeon and co-lead of ZAGA Center Sao Paulo, and Dr. Sakima's long-time mentor and partner. He trained in Dallas in the early 1990s and later studied extraoral and zygomatic implants under Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark in Gothenburg and Chile, placing among the first zygomatic implants in Brazil around 1999-2000. He is regarded as one of the country's most prominent surgeons in orthognathic surgery and zygomatic implants and has taught many surgeons in the field.
