Immediate implant stability and function: Biomechanics and electron microscopy

Primary implant stability and lack of micromovements are considered to be two of the main factors necessary for achieving predictable high success of osseointegrated oral implants. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate Hard Tissue Replacement-Polyanhydride-light hardened (HTR-PLH); HTR-LH: light hardened HTR; and PLH: polyanhydride synthetic bone substitute-light hardened on implant stability and function during immediate implant placement and loading in minipigs. Following immediate implant placement into fresh extraction sockets of 48 maxillary and mandibular teeth, the crestal voids surrounding the implants and infrabony spaces were treated with one of the afore-mentioned test materials or left untreated (control). At 12 weeks of loading, block sections containing implants were obtained. Evaluations included periodontal probing, pullout force load and mobility measurements to determine implant stability, radiographic evaluations to examine bone levels, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersed spectroscopy. The results showed that the newly formulated chemically hardened graft material, HTR-PLH, was beneficial in immediate implant placement and resulted in greater stability during immediate loading.