Per-Ingvar Brånemark, a professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg, has been awarded the European Inventor Award 2011 in the category "Lifetime achievement". He is one of the pioneers of osseointegration, a standard technique used among dentists.
Brånemark started developing the method in the early 1960s. He discovered that titanium is not rejected by the body and instead is integrated by surrounding bone tissue.
Osseointegration is now a widely practised form of dental treatment. It is also used in applications such as leg, arm and maxillofacial prostheses, and for anchoring hearing aids. Millions of people worldwide have benefited from his landmark method.
He was presented the award at a ceremony in Budapest on May 19.
