title: A comparative study of the bone contact to zirconium and titanium implants after 8 weeks of implantation in rabbit femoral condyles.
abstract: Zirconium (Zr) has been found to have comparable characteristics to titanium with a favorable modulus of elasticity. In addition, the release of Zr-ions of a Zr implant is supposed to further increase the bone-to-implant response. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare the bone contact to Zr and Ti implants in the femoral trabecular bone of rabbits. In addition, implants provided with a hydroxyapatite (HA) coating were included, as such a coating was proven before to enhance the secondary implant stability. A total of 32 implants consisting of 16 Zr (8 HA coated) and 16 Ti (8 HA coated) implants were installed in the femoral condyle of 16 rabbits. After 8 weeks of healing the femoral condyles including the implants were retrieved and studied histologically. The bone-to-implant contact (BIC) percentage was assessed and analyzed statistically. The BIC values of the uncoated Zr and Ti implants showed comparable BIC values (45.1 ± 14.8 vs. 45.5 ± 13.1). The BIC percentage was slightly higher for HA coated Zr and Ti implants (60.3 ± 17.1, 59.8 ± 16.4, respectively) compared to uncoated, but statistical testing indicated that this difference was not significant. It can be concluded that Zr and Ti implants show a comparable bone-implant contact after 8 weeks of implantation in the currently used rabbit model. In addition, the deposition of a sputtered HA coating on both Zr and Ti implants did not further improve their bone integration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Dental Implant and Osseointegration Research Chair, (DIORC), College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah Aldosari
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3077-8617
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: AlFarraj
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontics, Department of PDS, College of Dentistry Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, PO Box 153, AIkharj, Riyadh, 11942, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sukumaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Dental Implant and Osseointegration Research Chair, (DIORC), College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammad D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Al Amri
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center, Dentistry 309, PO Box 9101, Nijmegen, 6500, HB, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Aja Bart
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Van Oirschot
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center, Dentistry 309, PO Box 9101, Nijmegen, 6500, HB, The Netherlands. john.jansen@radboudumc.nl.|Dental Implant and Osseointegration Research Chair, (DIORC), College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. john.jansen@radboudumc.nl.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000069343:Bone-Implant Interface; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D015921:Dental Implants; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005269:Femur; D020007:Implants, Experimental; D011817:Rabbits; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D015040:Zirconium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D015921:Dental Implants; D017886:Durapatite; D015040:Zirconium; D014025:Titanium
keywords: Calcium phosphate coating; Hydroxyapatite; Osseointegration; Rabbit model; Titanium; Zirconium