Peri-implant soft tissue integration of immediately loaded implants in the posterior macaque mandible: a histomorphometric study.
BACKGROUND
Today, one critical goal in implant placement is the achievement of optimal soft tissue integration. Reports thus far have demonstrated successful soft tissue preservation in delayed loaded implants placed in anterior jaws. The aim of this study was to histomorphometrically examine the soft tissues around immediately loaded implants placed in the macaque posterior mandible.


METHODS
Splinted crowns on screw-shaped titanium implants (8 mm length, 3.5 mm diameter) were utilized. Three implants each were placed in the premolar-molar edentulous mandibular segments of 6 adult monkeys (Macaca fascicularis); one side served as the control (delayed loading) and the other as the test sites (immediate loading). The animals were sacrificed after 3 months of loading. Histomorphometry of 6 soft tissue indices including the sulcus depth (SD), junctional epithelium (JE), connective tissue contact (CTC), biologic width (BW = SD + JE + CTC), DIM (distance between the implant top and coronal gingiva), and DIB (distance between the implant top and first implant-to-bone contact) was performed on non-decalcified sections.


RESULTS
No significant differences in the mean soft tissue scores (mm) between the test (SD = 0.68 +/- 0.63; JE = 1.71 +/- 1.04; CTC = 1.51 +/- 1.14; DIM = 2.27 +/- 1.18; DIB = 1.32 +/- 1.21; BW = 3.9) and control (SD = 0.88 + 0.57; JE = 1.66 + 0.77; CTC = 1.24 +/- 0.92; DIM = 2.38 +/- 0.81; DIB = 1.19 +/- 0.91; BW = 3.78) groups were observed (P > 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the dimensions of the peri-implant soft tissues were within the biologic range and were not influenced by immediate functional loading or posterior location of the implants in the macaque mandible.
Siar
Chong Huat
CH
University of Malaya, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine & Periodontology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. siarch@um.edu.my
Toh
Chooi Gait
CG
Romanos
George
G
Swaminathan
Dasan
D
Ong
Ah Hup
AH
Yaacob
Hashim
H
Nentwig
Georg-Hubertus
GH
D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000473:pathology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D003442:Crowns; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods; D015921:Dental Implants; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D004846:Epithelial Attachment / Q000473:pathology; D005881:Gingiva / Q000473:pathology; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016348:Osseointegration; D010519:Periodontium / Q000473:pathology*; D016474:Weight-Bearing; D014945:Wound Healing
D015921:Dental Implants