Effect of bone density on the damping behavior of dental implants: An in vitro method

For normal healthy teeth the percussive energy generated by mastication is attenuated by the periodontal ligament at the healthy bone–natural tooth interface. However when the natural tooth must be replaced by an implant due to damage or disease the ligament is lost and the implant will transmit the percussive forces directly into the bone. Studies have been carried out to examine the mechanical damping behavior of dental implants. However, a study of the effect of bone density at the time of implant placement in conjunction with quantitative measures of mechanical energy dissipation has not been reported. The present research hopes to uncover some of this missing information by evaluating the effect of bone density on the energy dissipation of an implant upon surgical placement. In this work, four different dental implant geometries were tested as a function of simulated bone density utilizing a series of artificial foam bone models (Pacific Research Laboratories, Vashon Island, WA) that vary in density and structure. The implants were placed following recommended placement protocols. The hypothesis of the work is that the Periometer, a percussion probe system designed to measure local damping capacity, can be used to assess the quality of the underlying support structure. It is also hypothesized that Periometer results can be used to differentiate between implant model geometries within the same support structures.