Art is present in dentistry every day, as designing an aesthetic smile or creating a lifelike dental restoration is a form of artistic achievement, making it almost a work of art. The award itself is an artistic creation, designed and crafted by renowned contemporary Belgian artist Nick Ervinck, with production handled by PREMET Kft. Nick's artistic work is characterized by the meeting of nature and culture, as well as the fusion of the real and virtual worlds.
The outer frame of the award still reveals the shape of a human tooth, while the inner section is a completely new, almost distinct creation. The sculpture draws its inspiration from negative space and emptiness, guiding the viewer into a new, imaginative world. Its uniqueness lies in its design, which wasn’t created from just one angle but from multiple perspectives, making it captivating from every direction. The eye wanders across the sculpture, gliding over its external and internal details, bringing the inanimate form to life. The award's connection to dentistry, beyond its shape, is ensured by several features: it was manufactured using laser sintering technology; the material is medical-grade titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V Grade 23); the outer surface is hand-polished, while the inner surface underwent SLA treatment, similar to the surface treatment used for implants.
Laser sintering has sparked a revolutionary change in product manufacturing across all sectors in recent years. This technology has also brought significant changes to dentistry, opening new dimensions for the production of titanium frameworks (such as bridges, prostheses, clasp plates) and custom implants. With laser-sintered products, the form and complexity are practically limited only by the imagination. We aimed to take full advantage of this during the creation of the award, which also represented a push beyond the boundaries in terms of manufacturing and manufacturability.
"It is an honor for us that the association has supported this initiative, which has provided us with significant additional inspiration. We hope that the award will offer further motivation not only to the first winner, Dr. Viktória Vitai, but also to the participants of future poster competitions. If we can contribute even in a minimal way to better performance – to pushing the boundaries – then it has already been worth participating in the creation and production of this unique titanium laser-sintered award," said Dr. Zsolt Pásztor, Managing Director of PREMET Ltd.
Nick Ervinck is a renowned contemporary Belgian artist whose work encompasses both classical handcraft and modern technologies such as 3D printing and CNC milling. PREMET Ltd. is a company specializing in the laser-sintering-based production of medical devices and creative items, focusing on titanium framework structures and custom implants.
