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Updated: Apr 24, 2026
An Improved Mechanical Testing Method to Assess Bone-implant Anchorage
Published on: February 10, 2014
Osseointegration of fiber-reinforced composite implants: histological and ultrastructural observations
A M Ballo1, I Cekic-Nagas2, G Ergun2
1Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Dental Implant and Osseointegration Research Chair, College of Dentistry at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone tissue response to fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) in comparison with titanium (Ti) implants after 12 weeks of implantation in cancellous bone using histomorphometric and ultrastructural analysis.
Materials And Methods:
Thirty grit-blasted cylindrical FRC implants with BisGMA-TEGDMA polymer matrix were fabricated and divided into three groups: (1) 60s light-cured FRC (FRC-L group), (2) 24h polymerized FRC (FRC group), and (3) bioactive glass FRC (FRC-BAG group). Titanium implants were used as a control group. The surface analyses were performed with scanning electron microscopy and 3D SEM. The bone-implant contact (BIC) and bone area (BA) were determined using histomorphometry and SEM. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on Focused Ion Beam prepared samples of the intact bone-implant interface.
Results:
The FRC, FRC-BAG and Ti implants were integrated into host bone. In contrast, FRC-L implants had a consistent fibrous capsule around the circumference of the entire implant separating the implant from direct bone contact. The highest values of BIC were obtained with FRC-BAG (58±11%) and Ti implants (54±13%), followed by FRC implants (48±10%), but no significant differences in BIC or BA were observed (p=0.07, p=0.06, respectively). TEM images showed a direct contact between nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite of bone and both FRC and FRC-BAG surfaces.
Conclusion:
Fiber-reinforced composite implants are capable of establishing a close bone contact comparable with the osseointegration of titanium implants having similar surface roughness.
