Three-Dimensional Hard and Soft Tissue Healing at Implants With A Modified Neck Design: An In Vivo Preclinical Study.

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Biomaterials Science
• Oral Surgery

Background:

• Optimizing peri-implant bone and soft tissue healing is crucial for long-term dental implant success.
• Modified implant designs aim to enhance tissue integration and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare three-dimensional hard and soft tissue healing around a novel modified dental implant (test) versus a conventional bone level implant (control).

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 16 modified and 16 conventional implants in 8 experimental animals.
• Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and digital volumetric analysis were used to assess peri-implant bone and soft tissue parameters at 4 and 12 weeks.
• Evaluated metrics included bone volume, bone-to-implant contact (BIC), and soft tissue volume and thickness.

Main Results:

• Modified implants exhibited significantly higher 360° bone-to-implant contact (360-BIC) in the coronal aspect at both 4 and 12 weeks (up to +303% at 4 weeks).
• A trend towards increased peri-implant bone volume was observed for modified implants, reaching statistical significance for lingual bone at 4 weeks.
• No significant differences in soft tissue volume or thickness were found between the test and control groups.

Conclusions:

• Modified dental implants with a tissue level connection and convergent transmucosal neck demonstrate superior bone integration in the coronal region.
• These findings suggest potential advantages for modified implants in promoting hard tissue healing around the implant shoulder.
• Soft tissue outcomes were similar, indicating that the design modifications primarily impact bone apposition.