Effect of Biologic Aging of Implants on Osseointegration in the Dog

The objective of this preclinical study was to investigate the effect of biologic aging of implants on osseointegration in the canine. According to multiple comparisons, there was a significant difference in bone-to-implant contact (BIC) between control implants placed 6 months after manufacture and 2-week-old implants (P = .016), and between control and newly prepared implants with acid-etching (P = .019). However, there was no significant difference in BIC between newly prepared implants with acid-etching and 2-week-old implants. In all groups, BIC at 12 weeks was significantly higher than at week 4 (P < .05). There were no significant differences in bone volume (BV) regardless of area and time. Biologic aging of implants might affect osseointegration in the bone marrow zone at 4 weeks of healing. Although implant aging did not greatly affect BIC and BV at 12 weeks of healing in this study, further research is required to determine an appropriate period of biologic aging of implants that yields significant clinical effects.