What is this about?
- A swift portrait of Prof. Istvan Urbans’s journey, mentors and achievements
- The origin and impact of the “sausage technique” and other innovations
- A forward look at peri-implantitis care and digital regeneration
Roots, mentors, and mindset
Istvan Urban charts a path from Hungary to California where exposure to periodontology and regeneration ignited his calling. He credits formative mentors at the University of California and in Loma Linda for technical rigor and generosity, and he carries that ethos into his own teaching. He centers his career on patient-first excellence, disciplined balance (family, sport, work), and the belief that sustained curiosity – not podium ambitions – drives long-term success.
Innovations that simplify and de-risk surgery
He highlights techniques that make clinicians’ and patients’ lives easier and outcomes more predictable. His “sausage technique” (enabling stable, minimally invasive bone regeneration using a mix of autogenous bone and bone substitute, stabilized with a collagen membrane and improving outcomes with less morbidity, pain, and enhanced esthetics) emerges after a 2003 complication reveals that stabilized grafts under collagen can mineralize reliably, sparking a shift from more invasive protocols. He discusses material choices (measured openness to allografts, interest in hyaluronic-acid gels for handling and soft-tissue support) and long-standing, selective use of biologics like Emdogain around interproximal peaks. For peri-implantitis, he moves toward thorough decontamination with electrolytic cleaning and then applies standard regenerative principles –sometimes even achieving vertical gains – stressing early intervention and defect-wall preservation.
Where dentistry heads next
He envisions implants that better resist peri-implantitis through hybrid macro/micro designs and softer tissue interfaces, plus workflows that are digital end-to-end without today’s analog “rescues.” In regeneration, he sees custom printed meshes and blocks that are tissue-friendly and resorb on a clinician-defined timetable, alongside micro-dosed BMP-2 as an affordable adjunct studied in controlled trials. His north star stays constant: democratize predictable, minimally invasive regeneration and teach the next generation to surpass their teachers.
Key take-aways
- Patient-first excellence outperforms podium chasing
- Stabilize simply – collagen, sound biology, meticulous cleaning – then regenerate
- Hybrid implants, smart resorbables, and micro-dose biologics will shape the next decade
The Straumann ProTalk hosts
Andreas Utz: Global Head of Business Unit Implantology at Straumann Group. A leading expert in implant dentistry, Andreas brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for innovation to the podcast.
Dr. George Raeber: Global Head of Research & Development and Innovation at Straumann Group. With his extensive experience in the dental industry, George offers unique insights and thought-provoking perspectives.
