The effect of various thread designs on the initial stability of taper implants

Primary stability at the time of implant placement is related to the level of primary bone contact. The level of bone contact with implant is affected by thread design, surgical procedure and bone quality, etc.

The aim of this study was to compare the initial stability of the various taper implants according to the thread designs, half of which were engaged to inferior cortical wall of type IV bone (Group 1) and the rest of which were not engaged to inferior cortical wall (Group 2) by measuring the implant stability quotient (ISQ) and the removal torque value (RTV).

In this study, 6 different implant fixtures with 10 mm length were installed. In order to simulate the sinus inferior wall of type IV bone, one side cortical bone of swine rib was removed. 6 different implants were installed in the same bone block following manufacturer's recommended procedures. Total 10 bone blocks were made for each group. The height of Group 1 bone block was 10 mm for engagement and that of group 2 was 13 mm. The initial stability was measured with ISQ value using Osstell mentor® and with removal torque using MGT50 torque gauge.

In this study, we found the following results. 1. In Group 1 with fixtures engaged to the inferior cortical wall, there was no significant difference in RTV and ISQ value among the 6 types of implants. 2. In Group 2 with fixtures not engaged to the inferior cortical wall, there was significant difference in RTV and ISQ value among the 6 types of implants (P < .05). 3. There was significant difference in RTV and ISQ value according to whether fixtures were engaged to the inferior cortical wall or not (P < .05). 4. Under-drilling made RTV and ISQ value increase significantly in the NT implants which had lower RTV and ISQ value in Group 2 (P < .05).

Without being engaged to the inferior cortical wall fixtures had initial stability affected by implant types. Also in poor quality bone, under-drilling improved initial stability.