BIODEGRADABLE IMPLANTS FOR ORTHODONTIC ANCHORAGE - A PRELIMINARY BIOMECHANICAL STUDY

The use of endosseous implants as temporary orthodontic anchoring elem ents has good results in many clinical applications. The development o f a new orthodontic implant anchorage system comprising an implant pro duced of biodegradable polylactide with a metal superstructure is desc ribed. The presented bioresorbable implant anchor for orthodontics sys tem (BIOS) implant is designed to provide orthodontic anchoring functi ons in adolescents and adult patients, and to then be resorbed without a foreign body reaction or signs of clinical inflammation. Shear stre ngth and maximum vertical strength have been measured in biomechanical in vitro tests. BIOS fixtures can be loaded with horizontal shearing forces of 50 N with a mean deflection of 0.26+/-0.13 mm and mean verti cal removal forces of 155+/-80 N. Clinical studies are currently being undertaken to evaluate clinical practicability and biocompatibility o f the BIOS implants.