The role of quantitative single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in the osseous integration process of dental implants.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the integration process of endosseous dental implants by using quantitative bone single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT).


METHODS
Five consecutive patients receiving titanium implants (Astra Tech, Mölndal, Sweden) in the normal edentulous jaw were evaluated by bone SPECT before loading and at regular intervals up to 5 months after loading. Osteoblastic activity at the implant site was compared with activity within the skull (reference) to calculate an osteoblastic activity index (AI).


RESULTS
A time activity curve obtained by plotting AI against time over 5 months showed 3 distinct phases of osteoblastic activity: (1) a rise in osteoblastic activity, part of which may reflect postoperative changes, (2) maximum activity about 1 month after implant, and (3) a gradual falloff in the AI, which returned to pre-implant levels at about 4 months.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that this method offers a simple, reproducible, objective, and physiologic approach to studying the osseous integration process that occurs after endosseous dental implants. In this small series of patients, this osseous integrative process appears to have become established approximately 4 months after loading. This method also has the capability of quantitating bone activity in absolute terms of microCi/gram (microcuries per gram) and can be useful when bone grafting and other surgical procedures are involved.
Department of Radiology and School of Dentistry, University of the West Indies, Champs Fleurs, Trinidad, West Indies.
O
O
Khan
A
A
Archibald
E
E
Thomson
P
P
Maharaj
D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D015921:Dental Implants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016348:Osseointegration; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000502:physiology; D011859:Radiography; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D015921:Dental Implants; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate