Recombinant human transforming growth factor beta-1 and its effects on osseointegration

Dental implant failures are still a common occurrence, especially in areas of poor bone quality. The purpose of this study was to observe whether the application of a growth factor, recombinant human transforming growth factor beta-1 (rhTGF-beta1), would improve the healing of bone adjacent to titanium dental implants. Four adult male Yucatan minipigs had four titanium dental implants placed into the inferior border of each hemimandible. On the control side, the implants were placed in standard fashion. On the experimental side, rhTGF-beta1 within a carrier gel was placed into the recipient site before implant placement. After a 6-week healing period, two implants from each side were evaluated by pull-out testing and histomorphometric analysis. The mean pull-out force for experimental implants was 1,124.01 N and 818.12 N (P = 0.5015) for controls. The mean percentage of bone between adjacent threads on the implant surface was 49.74% for the experimental group and 36.50% for controls (P = 0.0783). The mean percentage of bone-implant surface contact was 41.86% for the experimental implant sites and 24.60% for the control implant sites (P = 0.0452). The application of rhTGF-beta1 to implant sites appears to increase the amount of bone healing adjacent to a titanium dental implants in minipig mandibles at the 6-week period. Further studies are required to quantify better the amount of growth factor required and to study its effects over a broader period of time to see whether these differences are maintained.