Effect of the gonadal integrity and the gender on responses of bone crestal levels in dogs with two dental prosthetic abutment types

Abstract

Fourteen adult mongrel dogs (5 intact and 9 neutered) comprising seven males and seven females were used to evaluate change in levels of alveolar crestal bone after implanting two types of dental abutments. Implants were surgically placed in both mandibular fourth premolar zones and restored with conventional (CONV) and platform switching (PFS) abutments. Both abutments were evaluated in each dog. The study lasted 180 days; restoration was performed at Day 60 postsurgical-placed implants and alveolar crestal bone levels was evaluated on Days 0, 30, 60, and 90 post-restoration (cemented crown) through indirect measurement using a digital X-ray sensor. Experimental data were analysed using a completely randomized design: the experimental unit was the dog (random effect), the treatment was the abutment type (fixed effect), and crestal bone level of each implant side (mesial and distal) was the observation. In addition, the gonadal integrity (intact and neutered) and the gender (male and female) were included in the statistical analysis to evaluate their role on the magnitude of changes (interactions) on alveolar crestal bone levels. The average of crestal bone loss was 0.400 ± 0.186 mm. In general, dogs with CONV had a greater (27.3%, P 0.77) between gender and abutment type. Similarly, as a sole factor of variation, gender had no effect (P = 0.26) on crestal bone level responses to abutment type (-0.401 vs -0.385 mm for males and females, respectively). Regardless of the type of abutment, males and females had a similar (P = .65) crestal bone loss (-0.405 vs. -0.393), while neutered dogs showed a greater (30.8%, P < 0.01) crestal bone loss compared with intact dogs. In conclusion, dogs with PFS showed less crestal bone loss than CONV; however, regardless of gender, this response only was maintained in intact dogs; therefore the gonadal condition has an effect on the magnitude of changes of the alveolar crestal bone levels in their response to abutment type in dogs with dental implants.