# Temperature-Responsive Clips for Removable Dental Prostheses

> **NIH NIH R43** · RODO MEDICAL, INC. · 2020 · $223,891

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The American Academy of Implant Dentistry reports that about 70% of Americans between the
ages of 35-44 have at least one missing tooth, and that one in four over the age of 74 lose all
their natural teeth. The first choice treatment for patients with multiple or all of their teeth
missing are overdentures, which are removable replacement teeth retained by dental implants.
The main reasons overdentures are more effective than conventional dentures are the superior
retention and stability provided by the attachment system. Retention is in fact one of the most
important indicators of patient satisfaction with removable overdentures. Ideally, patients with
overdentures would be able to enjoy all foods, including hard and chewy foods that are usually
too difficult to eat with dentures. This requires strong retention force. However, it can be difficult
for patients, especially elderly patients, to remove their dentures when the retention force is too
strong. Consequently, manufactures of overdenture retention systems encounter competing
design variables: maximize retention force at the expense of retrievability or vice versa, and
patients and their dentists are expected to choose between tight fit or easy removal. Clearly,
improvements to the design of retention systems are needed for optimal treatment with
overdentures. To overcome these limitations, RODO Medical has developed Smileclip, a
temperature-responsive nitinol clip that rapidly engage/disengage dentures from implant-
supported bars. Specifically, Smileclip has been engineered to have a phase transformation
temperature well below body temperature so that when dentures with Smileclip are rinsed with
cool water, the clip’s retention force drops to allow for easy denture seating onto the retention
bar. Once the temperature equilibrates to the oral environment, the retention force increases
and the clip tightly grips the retention bar and provides the tight fit patients need. To remove
their dentures, patients only need to rinse with cool water again and apply a gently force to
unclip them from the retention bar. The overall goal of this Phase 1 project is to characterize the
mechanical and electrochemical performance of these retention clips in order to optimize
retrieval and retention forces, and ensure a long service life for the retention system as reflected
by the following aims: Aim 1 – Determine the mechanical retention and fatigue resistance of
Smileclip on implant-supported bar. Aim 2 – Determine the corrosion resistance of Smileclip.
Aim 3 – Determine the retention force between Smileclip and dental resin it is embedded in.
Successful completion of Phase 1 will establish the design parameters that can withstand
physiological loading for at least 1,000,000 cycles while maintaining a strong retention force and
still easily retrieved.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9847823
- **Project number:** 1R43DE028777-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** RODO MEDICAL, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Young Seo
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $223,891
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-12 → 2024-02-11

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9847823

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9847823, Temperature-Responsive Clips for Removable Dental Prostheses (1R43DE028777-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9847823. Licensed CC0.

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