Accelerated Healing Period with Hydrophilic Implant Placed in Sheep Tibia

The objective of this study was to evaluate the early osseointegration of two different implants surfaces, a sandblasted and acid-etched surface (TN) compared with same geometry and surface roughness modified to be hydrophilic/wettable by conditioning in an isotonic solution of 0.9% sodium-chloride (TA) through histological and histomorphometric analysis after sheep tibia implantation. Forty dental implants, divided in two groups (TN and TA) were placed in the left tibia of twenty healthy, skeletally mature Santa Ines sheep (n=5/experimental period). After 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post-implantation, the samples were removed and the sheep were kept alive. Analysis of resin sections (30 μm) allowed the quantification of bone area (BA) and bone-to-implant contact (BIC). TA group presented nearly 50% increase in BA at 14 days (p<0.001, ANOVA - Tukey's post test) compared with 7 days. The TA presented higher values than the TN for BA and BIC at 14, 21, and 28 days after placement, stabilizing bone healing. TA hydrophilic surface promoted early osseointegration at 14 and 21 days compared to TN, accelerating bone healing period post-implant placement in sheep tibia.