The objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of radiotherap
y on the osseointegration of oral implants in a canine model. After the ext
raction of all mandibular premolars and first and second molars, 11 male be
agles were divided into 3 groups. The control group (3 dogs) received no ra
diation. The second group (4 dogs) was irradiated 4 weeks after implantatio
n. The third group (4 dogs) was irradiated 8 weeks before implantation. Eig
ht implants were placed in each dog, in an alternating pattern: 4 non-subme
rged ITI Bonefit titanium plasma spray-coated and 4 submerged Steri-Oss hyd
roxyapatite-coated. The irradiated dogs received 4.3 Gy daily for 10 days.
After 6 months of osseointegration, The dogs were sacrificed and each hemim
andible was dissected to isolate the implants. Quantification of the extent
of the direct bone-implant contact was carried out by scanning electron mi
croscopy backscattered electron images that reproduced each implant in its
entirety, using a digitizing table connected to a computer. The results wer
e expressed as a percentage of direct bone-implant contact Versus total per
imeter accessible to bone. The bone contact percentage for the control grou
p was 87% for Steri-Oss implants and 69% for the ITI Benefit implants; for
the animals irradiated after implantation, the percentages were 82 for Ster
i-Oss implants and 58 for ITI Bonefit implants; and for the animals irradia
ted before implantation, the percentages were 62 for Steri-Oss implants and
28 for ITI Benefit implants, A statistically significant difference appear
ed between the 2 types of implants (P < .001). A statistically significant
difference was also seen between the 3 groups for both types of implants, e
xcept between the control group and the group irradiated after implantation
(P = .14). This indicates that, overall, the timing of irradiation influen
ces osseointegration. Osseointegration is possible before and after radioth
erapy; however, the direct bone-implant contact increased when the implants
were placed before irradiation.