Bone and soft tissue integration to titanium implants with different surface topography: An experimental study in the dog

The aim of the present experiment was to study the peri-implant soft and ha rd tissues formed at titanium implants with 2 different surface configurati ons and to give a topographic description of the surfaces examined. In 5 be agle dogs, the mandibular premolars were extracted. Three months later, 4 s elf-tapping standard implants (SI) and 4 Osseotite implants (OI) of the 3i Implant System were placed. The marginal 3 mm of the OI is turned, while th e remaining part has an acid-etched surface structure. Abutments were conne cted after 3 months. A plaque control period was initiated and after 6 mont hs block biopsies were obtained. From each animal 2 units of each implant t ype were processed and embedded in EPON. The remaining biopsies were proces sed for ground sectioning The histometric measurements performed on the EPO N sections revealed that the peri-implant soft tissues and the marginal lev el of bone-to-implant contact were similar for SI and OI sites. In the grou nd sections, bone-to-implant contact (BIC%) and bone density assessments we re made in 2 different zones. Zone I represented the contact area measured from the marginal level of bone-to-implant contact (B) to a position 4 mm a bove the apex of the implant, and zone II represented the apical 4 mm of th e implant. For the SI sites, the BIC% was 56.1% in zone II and 58.1% in zon es I + II. The corresponding figures for the OI sites were 76.7% and 72.0%. The BIC% was significantly larger at OI than at SI sites. Bone density val ues were similar at the SI and OI sites.