Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

DENTALTRIBUNE Middle East & Africa Edition Industrial News 5 Yvonne Bachmann DTI HONG KONG/LEIPZIG, Ger- many: Scientists from the Ky- oto University in Japan re- portedtohavedevelopedanew alloy similar to palladium, a rare metal used in dental restorations. The element was produced by mixing molecules of silver and rhodium, two ele- ments chemically close to pal- ladium,andcouldbeafirststep inproducingsyntheticalterna- tives for other rare earths, the researchers told the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in Tokyo. Palladium only naturally oc- curs in some parts of Russia, South Africa, Canada and the US. Besidesdentistry,itisusedtopro- duce autocatalysts, jewelery and essential components for con- sumer electronic products, amongst other things. A 2010 re- port by US chemical company JohnsonMattheyestimatesthat5 to 6 per cent of the annual de- mand comes from dentistry for crowns or bridgework. With an annualdemandof8,5tons,Japan continues to utilise the largest amount of dental palladium de- spite other treatment options, such as all-ceramic crowns, ac- cording to the same report. The researchers have begun joint research projects with the Japanese industry, though they saidthenewalloywillbedifficult to produce commercially. Metal experts, however, are sceptical towards the announcement. “It does look like they have man- aged to create ‘nanoparticles’— an often abused phrase—of rhodiumandsilver,whichwould normally be using traditional melting techniques,” Johnson Matthey General Manager Peter Duncan told the South African Journal Mining Weekly. “It is very common for Japan- eseacademicstopatentanything vaquely new, regardless of its po- tentialinthecommercialworld.” Japanese experts said that synthetic replacements for rare metals could make Japan more independent from countries like China,whichcurrentlyproduces over 90 per cent of rare metals in the world. DT Japanese scientists develop replacement for dental metal NEW! Combination furnace VITA VACUMAT ® 6000 MP When it comes to performance – the more the better. Now is your chance to benefit from maximum performance and efficiency with the VITA VACUMAT New Generation. Operate up to four premium furnaces of the VACUMAT 6000 M series and/or the combination pressing furnaces of the VACUMAT 6000 MP series with a single vPad control panel and set new standards for optimized workflow in your laboratory. Thanks to its modular structure, the firing system can be customized to meet your requirements. Plus, you can add further firing units, operating panels and accessories at any time. You will hardly find a more efficient way to meet future requirements. www.myvacumat.com 3389_3E Operate up to four firing units with a single operating panel. VITA VACUMAT® New Generation Productivity to the power of four! AD MONTREAL: Following a record-breaking attendance year in 2010, over 12,000 dele- gates are expected to attend the 40th annual Journées dentaires internationales du Québec (JDIQ) to be held in Montreal, Canada, from May 27 to 31, 2011. Canada’s largest annual meet- ing, JDIQ has grown exponen- tially in recent years. DT Montrealtowelcome dentistsfromaround theworld