Which country are DIO implants from?

According to the company's own history, DIO was founded in South Korea in 1988. It was a medical device manufacturer before it moved into implants too: it received the European CE certificate in 1995 and the ISO 9001 quality certificate in 1997. In 2000 it was listed on KOSDAQ, Korea's technology exchange. It started in the dental implant business in 2002. In other words, the company's age and its implant history are not the same: on the implant side, we are talking about a history of roughly twenty-four years. Its history also includes non-dental products such as coronary stents.

The head office is in Busan. In submissions to the FDA, the US food and drug agency, the manufacturer's address is given as the Haeundae district of Busan. In 2020 the company opened a research centre in the Magok district of Seoul. On the production side, however, there is no single address: the history states that a production company was set up in China in 2017 and that the DIO VINA company in Vietnam was acquired in 2020. That is why where a DIO product that reaches you was made is told not by a general statement but by the label on its box.

Ownership has changed hands, or come close to doing so, several times. NICE Investment Partners, a private equity fund belonging to Korea's NICE group, set up a company called DIO Holdings for this investment in 2018; according to the Korean press, in 2024 DIO Holdings was the largest shareholder with 21.1 per cent of the company. In March 2022 an agreement was signed for the sale of DIO to Sesim, a company owned by Hong Sung-bum, the founder of the botulinum toxin manufacturer Hugel; but the agreement was cancelled the same year when the buyer withdrew.

In 2024 a Korean fund called H PE invested in the company in exchange for convertible bonds, according to the Korean press, and joined the management alongside NICE. In short, DIO is in Korea in both its origin and its ownership; it is not a brand that has come under the roof of a foreign group, as Neodent or Alpha-Bio have.

DIO is not a single implant but a family. The company's current product list includes the UF(II), UFIII, UNICON, SICON and FTN lines and the one-piece Protem implant. UF first came out in 2011; UF(II) is the next generation of this line. According to the summary document submitted to the FDA, UF(II) is made of grade 4 pure titanium and its surface is roughened by sandblasting and acid; it is produced in diameters from 3.8 to 5.5 mm and lengths from 7 to 16 mm. UFIII came onto the market in 2023, UNICON in 2025 and SICON in 2026.

What sets DIO apart from the other Korean brands is its digital side. DIOnavi was introduced in 2014: a CBCT scan and an intraoral scan are combined and the position of the implant is planned on a computer, then the implant is placed with a surgical guide produced according to this plan. In 2018 DIOnavi Full Arch was added for fully edentulous jaws. In its own history the company writes that 17,000 jaws worldwide have been reached with DIOnavi Full Arch; this figure is the manufacturer's own statement.

How accurate guided surgery is, on the other hand, is a matter that has been measured independently of the manufacturer. In a 2018 meta-analysis combining 20 clinical studies, the mean deviation from the planned position of implants placed with a static surgical guide was found to be 1.2 mm at the entry point, 1.4 mm at the tip and 3.5 degrees in angle; the deviation was greater in fully edentulous jaws than in partially edentulous ones. The authors recommend leaving a safety margin of at least 2 mm. In other words, a guide reduces the error, but does not bring it to zero.

The factual answer to 'is it any good': it is a system from a company that has been producing implants for more than twenty years, many of whose products have been put on the market in the USA through the FDA 510(k) route, and which is mentioned in independent publications. But published long-term patient follow-up carrying the DIO name is scarce compared with that of the big brands; a significant part of the publications are laboratory studies or small clinical studies. The outcome, meanwhile, is determined by planning, how the load is spread, smoking and diabetes control and regular maintenance more than by the brand name. The implant used in our protocol of fixed teeth in 72 hours with the Ihde method belongs to a different class: a one-piece corticobasal implant that anchors in the hard outer layer of the jaw.

The points below are not specific to DIO alone; they look at the two-piece implant design that sits inside the bone and usually needs healing time, and at guided surgery.

They are short questions. If the answers are clear, there is a considered choice behind the plan; every answer that stays vague is a gap you will have to fill in later.

1. 1

   Which line will be used?

   UF(II), UFIII, UNICON, SICON, FTN or Protem. It should be possible to explain the choice in terms of the density, width and height of your bone.

2. 2

   If DIOnavi is going to be used, can I see the plan?

   In guided surgery the position of the implant is determined on a computer before the procedure. Asking for a screenshot of the plan and for the distance between the implant and the nerve or the sinus is a normal request.

3. 3

   If there is immediate loading, will the anchorage be measured?

   Fitting teeth on the same day is a decision made when sufficient anchorage is measured during placement. You can ask for the measured value to be written into your record.

4. 4

   Can I see the barcode on the label?

   Medical devices put on the market in Turkey must be registered in the Product Tracking System (ÜTS). The number on the label shows the product's manufacturer and its registration; the place of manufacture, too, is most often told by the label.

5. 5

   Where do parts come from, and how long do they take?

   According to the company's history, DIO set up a company in Turkey in 2020. Ask whether the clinic has stock and, if not, how long it takes to obtain a screw and a top part.

If the first four points below are in place, the difference between brands narrows; if they are not, no brand makes up for the gap.

The name of a digital system, several line names and the news of a cancelled sale produce a few misleading shortcuts online.

Nobody asks for these documents today; but years from now, in another dentist's chair, they will be the first thing you are asked for.

1. An implant card with the name of the line

   The card should say more than just 'DIO': it should give the line name, such as UF(II), UFIII or FTN, together with the connection type, diameter, length and lot number. If anything is missing, ask the clinic that carried out the treatment to complete it.

2. The digital plan, if there is one

   If DIOnavi was used, a copy of the plan. Compared with an X-ray taken later on, it shows how close to the planned position the implant is seated.

3. A copy of the barcode

   The barcode on the product label carries the number that identifies the implant in ÜTS. Keep it together with your card.

4. The X-ray from the first day

   The X-ray that shows where your bone level was at the start. Only with it can any change be read when it is compared with an X-ray taken years later.

The implant's country does not explain the difference in a quote on its own. The total is made up of these items:

Choice of line and body

Within the same brand, the lines can differ in cost. Check which line is written in the quote; the phrase 'DIO implant' is not enough on its own.

Guided surgery

With a system like DIOnavi, the CBCT scan, the intraoral scan, the digital planning and the production of the guide are separate items of work. Ask whether these are included in the quote.

Top parts and the prosthesis

Ready-made parts, patient-specific production or parts for a multi-unit prosthesis, together with the material and workmanship of the bridgework, make up most of the total in full-mouth plans.

Preparatory procedures and later maintenance

A graft, a sinus procedure or extractions are separate items. The burden of repairs over the years depends on how easily parts can be obtained.