Examination of the damping behavior of IMZ implants

The damping behavior of 392 IMZ implants with a diameter of 4 mm was examined by performing Periotest measurements during regular implant follow-up. The results were correlated with radiographically assessed peri-implant bone reduction. To guarantee statistical independence, only one randomly chosen implant per patient was considered in the examination. In 167 implants, the difference between the mean mandibular and maxillary Periotest values proved to be statistically significant. Age, sex, and radiographic length of the endosseous part of the abutment had no influence on the Periotest values. Assessment of the Periotest values can thus be considered an additional parameter for objective determination of IMZ implant success. However, exclusive use of the Periotest method without additional radiographic examinations does not seem to be justified.