title: Horizontal mucosal thickness at implant sites as it correlates with the integrity and thickness of the buccal bone plate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To histologically assess the association between the horizontal mucosal thickness (MT) at implant sites with the integrity and thickness of the buccal bone plate in a canine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-piece titanium implants were placed at chronic-type lateral ridge defects. The resulting vestibular dehiscence-type defects (vertical dimensions of 2-8 mm) were left untreated. After a submerged healing period of 2 and 8 weeks (n = 6 fox hounds each), dissected blocks were processed for histomorphometrical analyses [e.g. MT, bone thickness (BT) and residual defect length].
  
  
  RESULTS
  Linear regression revealed significant associations between vestibular MT and BT values after 2 (R2= 0.22, B = -0.37, P < 0.0001) and 8 weeks (R2= 0.37, B = -0.45, P < 0.001) of healing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present analysis has pointed to an inverse relationship between horizontal MT and BT values at the vestibular aspect of submerged titanium implants. MT was most pronounced in the absence of a buccal bone plate.
authors: Department of Oral Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Schwarz
authors: ZETT Institute, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany. Martin.Sager@med.uni-dueseldorf.de.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Sager
authors: Department of Oral Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors: Vladimir
authors: V
authors: Golubovic
authors: Oral Surgery Office, Memmingen, Germany.|Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, George-Augusta-University, Göttingen, Germany.
authors: Gerhard
authors: G
authors: Iglhaut
authors: Department of Orthodontics, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors: Kathrin
authors: K
authors: Becker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D015921:Dental Implants; D004285:Dogs; D007568:Jaw / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D016014:Linear Models; D023421:Models, Animal; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D014025:Titanium; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants; D014025:Titanium
keywords: animal experiments; bone regeneration; morphometric analysis; soft tissue-implant interactions