Modified surgical drilling protocols influence osseointegration performance and predict value of implant stability parameters during implant healing process.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of three different surgical drilling protocols on changes of implant stability parameters and osseointegration performance during the healing period in rabbit femoral condyles. Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Three experimental groups according to different surgical drilling protocols (undersized, standard and oversized preparation) were designed. Measurements of implant stability parameters were performed immediately after implant insertion and then at 1, 2, 4, and 8weeks after the operation. After the animals were sacrificed, the bone blocks with implant were prepared for histological evaluation and histomorphometric analysis. The results demonstrated that the ISQ values of each group increased gradually through the whole healing period, while the damping factor showed the opposite tendency. The histomorphometric analysis revealed that BIC (bone-implant contact) values gradually increased with time until 8weeks of healing at each group. In addition, the undersized group has the highest initial BIC (25.16% ± 7.25%) and the lowest values were found in oversized group (9.13% ± 5.89%). Moreover, a higher correlation (R2= 0. 9817) between ISQ and BIC values in oversized group and moderate correlations between DF and BIC values in undersized group (R2= 0.823) were demonstrated. The undersized drilling protocol group presented the highest implant stability and BIC values in the whole healing period, while the similar tendency of results was found between standard and oversized drilling protocol groups. These results suggested that undersized drilling protocol is mechanically and biologically beneficial in low-density bone. The modifications of surgical drilling protocols would influence the predictive value of implant stability parameters for osseointegration performance.