Bone reactions adjacent to titanium implants subjected to static load - A study in the dog (I)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of lateral static load indu ced by an expansion force on the bone/implant interface and adjacent peri-i mplant bone. In 3 beagle dogs, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th mandibular premolars we re extracted bilaterally. Twelve weeks later 8 implants of the ITI Dental i mplant System were placed in each dog. Crowns connected in pairs were screw ed on the implants 12 weeks after implant installation. The connected crown s contained an orthodontic expansion screw yielding 4 loading units in each dog. Clinical registrations, standardized radiographs and fluorochrome lab eling were carried out during the 24-week loading period. Biopsies were har vested and processed for ground sectioning. The sections were subjected to histological examination. No evident marginal bone loss was observed at eit her test or control sites. The bone density and the mineralized bone-to-imp lant contact were higher adjacent to the lateral loaded implants than at th e unactivated control sites. It is suggested that the static load applied t o implants in a lateral direction resulted in a structural adaptation of th e peri-implant bone.