A group of Indian dentists have successfully created a new dental implant which could cut down the cost for dental treatment by more than 60 percent.

The titanium based implant was the product of a five year research funded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Lead researcher Professor Mahesh Varma revealed that the new implants not only replace a lost tooth, but also allow the users to chew with as much force as it could have been possible with natural teeth.

"The implants can not only replace missing teeth, they allow the individual to bite with a force equal to, if not more than, that possible with natural teeth. Toothless people no longer need to struggle with their complete dentures. Implant supported dentures address all the common complaints of instability and looseness", he said.

Currently the price for a dental implant is anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 but the new dental implant could cut down the cost to as low as Rs 7,000. According to latest reports, more than 12 percent of the population over 60 years of age have no teeth with many unable to afford the expense of teeth replacement.