A method for the quality control of osseointegration in endosseous implants

Metallic dental and orthopedic implants are essential therapeutic tool. The biologic success of an implant involves intimate contact between the implant and vital bone tissue, an event which has been termed osseointegration. The aim of the present study was to study the biocompatibility and biomechanic properties of different implant materials. Zircalloy 4 metallic cones (1.8 mm base x 2 mm height) were implanted in the diaphysis of the tibiae of 6 Wistar rats (90 g body weight) under i.p. Ethyl Urethane anesthesia. The animals were killed 30 days postimplantation, the tibiae were resected, and radiographed. One side chosen at random was used for the biomechanical study; whereas the other implant of each animal was processed for embedding in methyl-methacrylate. The bond of the implanted material to bone tissue was monitored immediately after resecting the tibiae by applying an extraction force to the base of the cone via a device designed ad hoc connected to a testing machine. Histological and radiographic analyses revealed the presence of bone tissue in contact with the implant surface. A force of about 35 g was necessary to separate the implant from the bone tissue. The system proposed renders possible the study of biocompatibility in histologic terms and in terms capacity to bond to bone tissue and could be a valuable research tool and the basis for quality control of all types of material, metallic or otherwise, used in endosseous implants.