Dr. Richard Price's invention, MARC™ (a system for Managing Accurate Resin Curing), is getting lots of attention of late. Recently the MARC™ Patient Simulator has been demonstrated at several international events including the 2010 Academy of Dental Materials annual meeting in Trieste Italy, the 2011 International Association for Dental Research Exhibition in San Diego, and the 34th International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne, Germany. The IDS in Cologne is the world's leading dental trade show with approximately 115,000 visitors and 1,956 exhibitors from 58 countries.
Profiled in Dal News one year ago, the MARC™ Patient Simulator accurately measures the amount of energy delivered to simulated resin restorations (fillings) in a dental mannequin from a curing light. MARC™ is used to manage the four CORE variables that influence the amount of energy delivered to a resin restoration:
Curing light
Operator technique
Restoration location and size
Energy requirements of the resin
Resins that are not cured properly do not meet the manufacturer's specifications. This will reduce the bond strength to the tooth, result in a softer resin, make some resins more cytotoxic, and reduce longevity of the restoration. Using MARC™, clinicians can find out whether their curing light and technique is delivering adequate energy to restorations and learn how to improve their light curing technique.
BlueLight analytics inc., the Halifax based company that is developing MARC™, demonstrated the MARC™ Patient Simulator at the 2011 IADR Exhibition. The demonstration proved to be highly popular with attendees. Visitors practiced their curing technique on the MARC™ Patient Simulator and then received a report telling them how much energy they delivered using their usual technique. The booth also featured the latest product developed by Dr. Price and colleagues, the MARC™ Resin Calibrator. Using this device, visitors were shown how a resin would perform when cured using the amount of energy they delivered on the Patient Simulator.
MARC™ arose from Dr. Price's pioneering research on dental curing lights, which has been supported by NSHRF, CIHR, NSERC, and the Dalhousie Faculty of Dentistry. Dalhousie's Industry Liaison and Innovation Office licensed MARC™ to BlueLight analytics inc. in December 2009 and was instrumental in acquiring initial funding from Springboard Atlantic. BlueLight analytics inc. has since received funds from Innovacorp, ACOA, and NSERC to help commercialize the project. Both Dr. Price and the Industry Liaison and Innovation Office are delighted at how, in just over a year, MARC™ has rapidly moved from a single laboratory prototype to become two distinct devices, manufactured in Halifax, with strong sales to dental manufacturers and researchers in North America, Europe and Asia.