Microscopical features in retrieved human Branemark implants: a report of 19 cases.
The authors present a histologic analysis of 19 Branemark titanium implants retrieved for different causes: four implants were removed for abutment fracture, one for dental nerve dysesthesia, two for bone overheating, two for peri-implantitis, nine for mobility, one for unknown causes. In the implants removed for fracture a high bone-implant contact percentage was present (71.83 +/- 4.96%) with compact, mature bone at the interface. The picture of the failure due to bone overheating was characteristic with the presence of bone sequestra and of a gap between implant and bone filled by lymphocytes and plasma cells: many bacteria surrounded the necrotic bone and no newly regenerated bone was present. In peri-implantitis an inflammatory infiltrate was observed in the peri-implant tissues: a dense fibrous connective tissue was present around implants failed for mobility. The microscopical picture is certainly extremely important in identifying the causal determinants of an implant failure.
Piattelli
A
A
Dental School, University of Chieti, Italy. apiattelli@unich.it
Scarano
A
A
Dalla Nora
A
A
De Bona
G
G
Favero
G A
GA
D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000502:physiology*; D005592:Fracture Fixation; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D014025:Titanium
D014025:Titanium