1. Dental implantology: an old idea

The use of dental implants, categorized as an Implantable Medical Device (IMD), is inherent to human history. The reasons for this immemorial use can be found on several levels:

• Dentition is essential for feeding. Teeth are hard, highly mineralized organs whose main function is to crush food so that it can be better ingested and assimilated. Not only the shape of the teeth, but also their number, location and longevity often indicate the diet of the living creature in question (omnivorous in the case of humans). Tooth loss, whether early or due to age, is therefore a major functional loss