Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Real-Time Dynamic Navigation System for the Precise Quad-Zygomatic Implant Placement in a Patient with a Severely Atrophic Maxilla
Published on: October 18, 2021
Three-dimensional microdisplacement of teeth adjacent to dental implants: A pilot study
Cleber Davi Del Rei Daltro Rosa1, João Mateus Cavalaro Sayeg2, Victor Augusto Alves Bento3
1PhD Candidate, Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, Araçatuba School of Dentistry, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil; and Visiting Scholar, Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Statement Of Problem:
Natural teeth exhibit viscoelastic, nonlinear 3-dimensional displacement, whereas osseointegrated implants behave as rigid, minimally mobile units. This biomechanical incompatibility generates asymmetric force distribution within tooth-implant complexes and may influence functional adaptation and proximal contact stability. Although digital methods now allow the precise in vivo detection of micromovements, the authors are unaware of a previous clinical study that simultaneously quantified the 3-dimensional kinematics of both the anterior and posterior teeth adjacent to a single implant, along with the implant-supported crown, under functional conditions. Therefore, the clinical geometric expression of displacement patterns within this system remains unclear.
Purpose:
This pilot study aimed to characterize the 3-dimensional displacement patterns of anterior and posterior teeth adjacent to single posterior implants and implant-supported crowns over time.
Material And Methods:
Eighteen patients contributed 23 posterior single dental implants. Serial intraoral scans were obtained by the same researcher using a standardized acquisition protocol at 4 time points: baseline (T0), 6 months (T1), 12 months (T2), and 18 months (T3). All datasets were subsequently superimposed for 3-dimensional analysis. The adjacent anterior and posterior teeth and the implant-supported crown served as internal controls for interstructural comparisons within each unit. Displacement was quantified along the buccolingual (X), coronoapical (Y), and mesiodistal (Z) axes at the mesial, middle, and distal regions. Temporal and structural differences were analyzed using 2-factor repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc testing (α=.05).
Results:
Natural teeth exhibited significantly greater 3-dimensional microdisplacement than implant-supported crowns, predominantly along the buccolingual and mesiodistal axes. Buccolingual displacement showed significant time-dependent variation in all regions, with oscillatory behavior characterized by reduction from 6 to 12 months and partial recovery at 18 months, particularly in the distal region (P<.001). Mesiodistal displacement was structure-dependent, with anterior teeth exhibiting significantly greater displacement than implant-supported crowns and posterior teeth in the middle and distal regions (P≤.039). In contrast, coronoapical displacement remained minimal, stable over time, and showed no significant temporal or structural effects across regions (P>.05).
Conclusions:
Natural teeth maintained adaptive 3-dimensional displacement under functional loading, whereas implant-supported crowns exhibited minimal positional variation, demonstrating asymmetric kinematics within tooth-implant complexes.