Preliminary evaluation of a new dental implant design in canine models

Problems with crestal bone resorption and bone adaptation to dental implants in compromised and weak bone present clinical challenges due to insufficient bone volume. Mathematical models have shown that a new, square-thread, dental implant design increases functional surface area and reduces shear loading at the implant interface. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the ability of bone to grow between the threads of the new implant and its general biocompatibility in a canine model. Test implants were placed in the mandibles of four beagle dogs after posterior partial edentulism. Three months after implantation, the animals received independent fixed partial dentures, were followed for an additional 6 months, and then euthanized for histological analyses. Analyses revealed that bone grew between the threads and closely apposed the new implant design. Histological observations also revealed that the inferior aspect of the test implant threads were apposed by more bone than the coronal aspect, suggesting a biological advantage for the compressive load transfer mechanism of the new implant design. The results of this study revealed that the new implant design became osseointegrated with bone growing between the threads of the device.