Does Mixed Conventional/Piezosurgery Implant Site Preparation Affect Implant Stability?

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of conventional implant site preparation technique and a combination of conventional/piezosurgery preparation on implant stability measured at different time intervals, insertion torque, and preparation time. A randomized controlled study was designed, it included 26 patients who received 54 dental implants randomly assigned to 2 groups; in the control group, implants were installed after conventional preparation with drills whereas the study group received implants after mixed conventional/piezosurgery preparation. The outcome variables included: implant stability measured immediately after implant insertion, at 8 weeks and 16 weeks postoperatively, insertion torque and preparation time. All the investigated variables were analyzed statistically using 1 sample Kolmogrov-Simirenov test, Mann-Whitney U test, paired and unpaired Student t test, the Pearson χ test, Fisher exact test, and analysis of variance (1-way ANOVA). The differences were considered significant at P ≤ 0.05. Implant stability showed a similar pattern in both the groups which consists of a statistically significant decrease in implant stability quotient values at the 8th week followed by a statistically significant increase at the 16th week, where the implant stability quotient values return close to those of primary stability. The 2 groups revealed a statistically not significant difference in insertion torque and implant stability changes throughout the study period, whereas the preparation time was significantly longer in the study group than the control group. The mixed conventional/piezosurgery method of implant site preparation offers no additional advantage over the conventional drilling method in terms of values of insertion torque and patterns of implant stability change throughout the healing period.