NobelActive is a single aggressive implant body designed to gain stability by expanding into an under-prepared site; Astra Tech EV is a range of three body shapes chosen by site rather than one design applied everywhere. Both are current flagship systems from large manufacturers, and the choice between them is a surgical preference rather than a difference in category.
Side by side
Rows appear only where at least one side has data. Where a value is not verified we say
so rather than leaving it blank.
Attribute
NobelActive
Astra Tech Implant System EV
Current status
Current. NobelActive is listed in the Nobel Biocare implant catalogue with 56 options.Manufacturer-reported[1][2]
Current. Dentsply Sirona publishes surgical and guided surgery manuals for the system.Manufacturer-reported[5][6]
Body geometry
Expanding tapered body which Nobel Biocare states condenses bone gradually during insertion, with reverse cutting blades that allow the implant position to be adjusted during placement.Manufacturer-reported[2]
Three body shapes: OsseoSpeed EV straight, OsseoSpeed EV conical, and OsseoSpeed Profile EV, which has a sloped marginal contour and is offered in ∅ 4.2 and 4.8 mm.Manufacturer-reported[5][6]
Material
Commercially pure titanium grade 4. The instructions for use give the composition as titanium balanced with max. 0.50 wt.% iron, max. 0.40 wt.% oxygen, max. 0.08 wt.% carbon, max. 0.05 wt.% nitrogen and max. 0.015 wt.% hydrogen, and state that the TiUltra variant is additionally layered with a water-soluble salt mixture of sodium dihydrogen phosphate and magnesium chloride. The co-packed cover screw is Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy.Manufacturer-reported[3]
Titanium – Grade 4. Both implant instructions for use give the material as "Titanium – Grade 4" and list allergy or hypersensitivity to commercially pure titanium as a contraindication. This is the substrate; OsseoSpeed is a treatment of that substrate, produced by grit blasting followed by treatment in diluted hydrofluoric acid.Manufacturer-reported[7][8]
Surface
TiUltra, introduced in 2019; also offered historically with the TiUnite surface.Manufacturer-reported[2]
OsseoSpeed. Dentsply Sirona states that implants with the OsseoSpeed surface are especially indicated for soft bone situations where implants with other surface treatments may be less effective.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Connection
Internal conical connection. Nobel Biocare groups NobelActive under the "Internal Conical Connection" filter in its implant catalogue.Manufacturer-reported[1][4]
An internal interface with one-position-only placement for patient-specific abutments, six-position indexing for prefabricated indexed abutments, and free rotational seating for index-free abutments. Connection sizes are colour-coded across the diameter range.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Platform switching
Nobel Biocare describes "enhanced platform shifting" for the NobelActive S variant but publishes no dimension for it on the pages reviewed.Manufacturer-reported[2]
The guided surgery manual designates OsseoSpeed Profile EV configurations as PS (Platform Switching) and PC (Platform Compatible).Manufacturer-reported[6]
Available diameters
NobelActive TiUltra is catalogued in ∅ 3.0, 3.5, 4.3, 5.0 and 5.5 mm.Manufacturer-reported[4]
Connection/diameter range ∅ 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8 and 5.4 mm, colour-coded green, purple, yellow, blue and brown respectively. OsseoSpeed Profile EV is offered in ∅ 4.2 and 4.8 mm.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Available lengths
∅ 3.0 mm: 10–13 mm. ∅ 3.5, 4.3 and 5.0 mm: 8.5–18 mm. ∅ 5.5 mm: 7–15 mm. Nobel Biocare notes that the actual implant length is 0.5 mm shorter than the length in the product name.Manufacturer-reported[4]
6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 mm — the Implant Depth Gauge EV is marked to correspond to implant lengths of 6–17 mm. The guided surgery manual narrows the guided-compatible range to 6–15 mm for straight implants and 8–15 mm for conical and Profile implants.Manufacturer-reported[5][6]The two manuals describe different subsets rather than contradicting each other: the guided range is a subset of the freehand range.
Short implant option
Not publicly verified
For the 6 mm implant Dentsply Sirona advises considering the widest possible implant, a two-stage surgical approach and splinting, and states that immediate loading may not be appropriate for single-tooth replacement in soft bone or when using a 6 mm implant.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Current status
NobelActive
Current. NobelActive is listed in the Nobel Biocare implant catalogue with 56 options.Manufacturer-reported[1][2]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
Current. Dentsply Sirona publishes surgical and guided surgery manuals for the system.Manufacturer-reported[5][6]
Body geometry
NobelActive
Expanding tapered body which Nobel Biocare states condenses bone gradually during insertion, with reverse cutting blades that allow the implant position to be adjusted during placement.Manufacturer-reported[2]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
Three body shapes: OsseoSpeed EV straight, OsseoSpeed EV conical, and OsseoSpeed Profile EV, which has a sloped marginal contour and is offered in ∅ 4.2 and 4.8 mm.Manufacturer-reported[5][6]
Material
NobelActive
Commercially pure titanium grade 4. The instructions for use give the composition as titanium balanced with max. 0.50 wt.% iron, max. 0.40 wt.% oxygen, max. 0.08 wt.% carbon, max. 0.05 wt.% nitrogen and max. 0.015 wt.% hydrogen, and state that the TiUltra variant is additionally layered with a water-soluble salt mixture of sodium dihydrogen phosphate and magnesium chloride. The co-packed cover screw is Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy.Manufacturer-reported[3]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
Titanium – Grade 4. Both implant instructions for use give the material as "Titanium – Grade 4" and list allergy or hypersensitivity to commercially pure titanium as a contraindication. This is the substrate; OsseoSpeed is a treatment of that substrate, produced by grit blasting followed by treatment in diluted hydrofluoric acid.Manufacturer-reported[7][8]
Surface
NobelActive
TiUltra, introduced in 2019; also offered historically with the TiUnite surface.Manufacturer-reported[2]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
OsseoSpeed. Dentsply Sirona states that implants with the OsseoSpeed surface are especially indicated for soft bone situations where implants with other surface treatments may be less effective.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Connection
NobelActive
Internal conical connection. Nobel Biocare groups NobelActive under the "Internal Conical Connection" filter in its implant catalogue.Manufacturer-reported[1][4]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
An internal interface with one-position-only placement for patient-specific abutments, six-position indexing for prefabricated indexed abutments, and free rotational seating for index-free abutments. Connection sizes are colour-coded across the diameter range.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Platform switching
NobelActive
Nobel Biocare describes "enhanced platform shifting" for the NobelActive S variant but publishes no dimension for it on the pages reviewed.Manufacturer-reported[2]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
The guided surgery manual designates OsseoSpeed Profile EV configurations as PS (Platform Switching) and PC (Platform Compatible).Manufacturer-reported[6]
Available diameters
NobelActive
NobelActive TiUltra is catalogued in ∅ 3.0, 3.5, 4.3, 5.0 and 5.5 mm.Manufacturer-reported[4]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
Connection/diameter range ∅ 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8 and 5.4 mm, colour-coded green, purple, yellow, blue and brown respectively. OsseoSpeed Profile EV is offered in ∅ 4.2 and 4.8 mm.Manufacturer-reported[5]
Available lengths
NobelActive
∅ 3.0 mm: 10–13 mm. ∅ 3.5, 4.3 and 5.0 mm: 8.5–18 mm. ∅ 5.5 mm: 7–15 mm. Nobel Biocare notes that the actual implant length is 0.5 mm shorter than the length in the product name.Manufacturer-reported[4]
Astra Tech Implant System EV
6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 mm — the Implant Depth Gauge EV is marked to correspond to implant lengths of 6–17 mm. The guided surgery manual narrows the guided-compatible range to 6–15 mm for straight implants and 8–15 mm for conical and Profile implants.Manufacturer-reported[5][6]The two manuals describe different subsets rather than contradicting each other: the guided range is a subset of the freehand range.
Short implant option
NobelActive
Not publicly verified
Astra Tech Implant System EV
For the 6 mm implant Dentsply Sirona advises considering the widest possible implant, a two-stage surgical approach and splinting, and states that immediate loading may not be appropriate for single-tooth replacement in soft bone or when using a 6 mm implant.Manufacturer-reported[5]
The biggest differences
NobelActive's defining features are a double-lead thread, an expanding tapered body and reverse cutting blades that allow the implant to be backed out and re-angled during placement. Astra Tech EV's defining feature is that the same prosthetic interface is offered on straight, conical and Profile bodies, so the surgeon changes the shape of the implant to suit the site instead of relying on one body to handle every case. In short: one system adapts by technique, the other by inventory.
Design
Astra Tech EV is catalogued from 3.0 to 5.4 mm in diameter and 6 to 17 mm in length, with the guided-surgery range narrower than the free-hand one. NobelActive runs 3.0 to 5.5 mm in diameter with lengths from 7 to 18 mm depending on diameter. The ranges overlap almost completely, which is a reminder that the meaningful differences between mainstream implant systems are rarely dimensional.
Prosthetic ecosystem
Both are worth understanding before restoration rather than after. Nobel Biocare's internal conical connection is shared by NobelActive, NobelParallel and NobelReplace Conical Connection, but not by the older tri-channel and external hex lines still in the catalogue — so 'a Nobel implant' is not a component specification. Astra Tech EV keeps one interface across the EV generation, but earlier Astra Tech generations do not necessarily take EV components, which is the equivalent trap on that side.
Clinical evidence
Astra Tech has been sold under that name for considerably longer than the EV generation has existed, and NobelActive predates EV as a product. Comparing the volume of published work on the two is therefore comparing brands and generations at the same time, which is why we have not attempted a ranking. We hold no study directly comparing them.
What may influence clinical selection
The factor buyers most often overlook is the surgeon's familiarity with the specific handling of the system. NobelActive is designed to be driven into a deliberately under-prepared site and can be re-oriented mid-placement; that is an advantage in experienced hands and a liability without the training. Astra Tech EV's site-specific approach asks a different question — which body shape suits this ridge — and answers it at planning rather than during surgery.
Important limitations
Both records in our database are held as database-only, because neither manufacturer document we worked from names the implant substrate, and the implant level is unstated for both. The table below is therefore shorter than it would be for two better-documented systems, and should not be read as the full specification of either.
So which is better?
Neither is universally better, and any page telling you otherwise is selling something.
These are different designs with different trade-offs, and the right choice depends on the
bone available, the position in the mouth, the planned restoration, and what the treating
clinician is equipped and experienced to place and to service years from now.
That last point is easy to overlook and matters more than most specification
differences: components need to remain obtainable for as long as the implant is in place.
Regulatory record
US FDA 510(k) clearances held by each side, retrieved from the FDA's own database.
Clearances are held at brand level, so every system from the same brand shares this record.
NobelActive
via Nobel Biocare
6
FDA 510(k) clearances
1991 – 2026
Filed by Nobel Biocare AB
Astra Tech Implant System EV
via Astra Tech Implant System
13
FDA 510(k) clearances
1994 – 2011
Filed by Astra Tech AB
A clearance count is not a quality ranking, and the
larger number is not the better implant. A brand with more clearances usually
has a longer history or a broader component range. FDA "clearance" also is not FDA
"approval" — it means the device was accepted as substantially equivalent to one already
on the market, generally without a clinical trial. A blank here means we could not match
a filing with confidence, not that the brand lacks authorisation.
What these actually mean →
Sources
Numbers match the citations beside each claim above.
