Tissue regeneration adjacent to titanium implants placed with simultaneoustransposition of the inferior dental nerve: A study in dogs

Transposition of the inferior alveolar nerve was performed in an experiment al dog model. Four adult greyhounds were used in the study. Surgical transp osition of the nerve was made bilaterally, and 3 implants were placed on ea ch side while the nerve was lateralized. On one side, the nerve was reposit ioned in contact with the implants, while on the contralateral side a resor bable membrane was positioned between the implant surface and the neurovasc ular bundle. Histologic section after 4 months of healing showed an intimat e contact between implants membranes. Histomorphometric measurements of the distance between the implants and the nerve tissue showed that the membran e side had a considerably larger distance between the implant and the nerve , although not with concomitant bone formation.