Effect of Splinting on Orthodontic Mini-Implant Tipping and Bone Histomorphometric Parameters: An In Vivo Animal...

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Biomaterials Science
• Dental Implantology

Background:

• Orthodontic mini-implants offer skeletal anchorage.
• Immediate functional loading of mini-implants is clinically desirable but raises stability concerns.
• Understanding bone response to immediate loading is crucial for treatment predictability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the stability of orthodontic mini-implants under immediate functional load.
• To compare splinted versus unsplinted mini-implants subjected to immediate loading.
• To analyze the histomorphometric bone parameters around loaded mini-implants in an in vivo model.

Main Methods:

• Mini-implants were placed in rabbit tibiae and subjected to immediate loading (150 g).
• Implants were tested in splinted and unsplinted configurations, compared to unloaded controls.
• Micro-computed tomography assessed implant tipping and peri-implant bone histomorphometry over 8 weeks.

Main Results:

• Splinting significantly reduced mini-implant tipping under immediate load.
• Immediate loading increased bone formation indexes in the peri-implant region.
• No significant difference in bone formation was observed between splinted and unsplinted groups.

Conclusions:

• Splinting orthodontic mini-implants mitigates displacement during immediate functional loading.
• Immediate orthodontic loading promotes peri-implant bone apposition.
• Splinting does not impede the bone-enhancing effects of immediate loading.