1. Craniofacial bone generation: Treatable conditions include birth deformities of the skull, facial bones and jaws. Surgeons correct more than 22,500 cases of congenital facial deformity in the U.S. every year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Moreover, oral cancer affecting the upper or lower jaws requiring bone resection and repair involves thousands of patients per year. Dental discrepancies requiring bone lengthening of upper or lower jaws in young adults affects thousands more. Conservative U.S. estimates for osteoplastic surgery of the face, skull and jaws comprises in excess of 40,000 operations per year. The worldwide prevalence of such conditions creates a non-U.S. need exceeding 400,000 cases per year.



2. Lengthening extremities: Limb lengthening by distraction osteogenesis is indicated in both upper and lower extremities for post-traumatic or congenital discrepancies in limb length. Orthopedic surgeons agree that discrepancies in leg length of 2cm or greater may cause gait disturbances, back and hip/knee pain, and degenerative joint disease. There are approximately 157,000 such leg length discrepancies diagnosed in the U.S. each year, of which 5,500 are treated surgically. Upper extremity deficiencies and congenital anomalies resulting in deformed and foreshortened extremities comprise a lesser group that requires treatment.



3. Dental (alveolar) bone generation and tooth replacement: Tooth loss and dentures remain a fact of life for millions of Americans. It is estimated that approximately 55-65 million people in the U.S. have lost some or all of their teeth prematurely. Two in ten adults aged 18 to 74 wear dentures of some kind, and 57% of people aged 65 to 74 wear dentures. Dentures are problematic and can lead to further bone loss, which means the dentures move and click. Distraction osteogenesis rebuilds the alveolar ridge, thus enabling the placement of dental implants, the ideal tooth replacement solution. Dental implants are non-problematic, permanent fixtures, which allow for the placement of tooth prosthetics. There were 910,000 dental implants placed in the United States in 2000. This number is expected to grow with a compound growth rate of 18.6% through 2005 and beyond.

Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, affecting more than 75% of all people. The severity of periodontitis ranges from mild, which affects the gums surrounding the tooth, to moderate and severe which results in tooth loss and supporting bone loss. It is estimated that over 20 million Americans have advanced periodontal disease (18-59 years old with 6 millimeters or more of bone loss). Bone loss of the alveolar ridge (supporting bone of the jaw) prevents the placement of dental implants. The OrthoNetx dental product corrects the bone loss and serves as the permanent base for the dental implant.