Dr. Rubén Davó, Speaker at Edentulism2023
Episode summary
Dr. Rubén Davó, a medical doctor and oral and maxillofacial surgeon, is a keynote speaker at Edentulism2023 in the Canary Islands, where his lecture addresses the scientific evidence and long-term success of the quad zygoma. Davó reached the zygoma concept in 1998-1999, developed the immediate-loading protocol for the zygomatic implant in his PhD dissertation, and pioneered the quad zygoma from 2006 alongside Chantal Malevez. He reports a 17-year follow-up in which the vast majority of patients maintain a normal quality of life, with complications resolved, and cites a meta-analysis co-authored with Shanghai's Ninth People's Hospital showing an overall survival rate around 98 percent. Having stopped bone grafting in totally edentulous patients more than 20 years ago, he frames graftless, simplified therapies as essential to raise acceptance rates and normalize oral health-related quality of life for a growing edentulous population.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Rubén Davó is a medical doctor and maxillofacial surgeon who reached the zygoma concept in 1998-1999.
- He developed the immediate-loading protocol for the zygomatic implant within his PhD dissertation.
- He pioneered the quad zygoma approach from 2006, working together with Chantal Malevez.
- A meta-analysis he co-authored with Shanghai's Ninth People's Hospital reports an overall survival rate around 98 percent for the quad zygoma modality.
- Davó stopped bone grafting in totally edentulous patients more than 20 years ago in favor of graftless approaches.
- His Edentulism2023 session presents 17-year follow-up data on patients treated since 2006, framing quad zygoma as a mature technique for the totally resorbed maxilla.
- He ran a clinical trial comparing bone grafting with zygomatic implants, a milestone in shifting the gold standard toward zygomatic implants.
What you'll learn
- The quad zygoma approach for the totally resorbed maxilla and its reported ~98% survival rate
- Graftless, immediate-loading protocols to normalize oral health-related quality of life
- 17-year long-term follow-up data on quad zygoma complications and how they were resolved
- The evidence shift from bone grafting to zygomatic implants as the gold standard
- Why simplified therapies increase patient acceptance rates for full-arch rehabilitation
About the guest
Dr. Rubén Davó
Dr. Rubén Davó is a medical doctor and specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery whose career has focused on facial deformities and complex oral rehabilitation. He reached the zygoma concept in 1998-1999 and developed the immediate-loading protocol for the zygomatic implant within his PhD dissertation, pioneering the quad zygoma approach from 2006. He practices at the Vithas Davó Dental Institute in Alicante, is a ZAGA Council member and ZAGA mentor, and appeared as a keynote speaker at Edentulism2023.
Credentials: MD, PhD, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon; Medical Director, Vithas Davó Dental Institute, Alicante; ZAGA Council member and mentor
