Radiographic analysis of peri-implant trabecular bones after implant placement

Intraoral radiographs are routinely used to assess a bone-implant interface after placement of a dental implant. Unlike marginal bone loss occurring in outer and denser crestal bones, bone resorption in inner and networked trabecular bones has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we hypothesize that peri-implant trabecular bones may undergo bone resorption and osseointegration after implant placement. Quantitative image analysis was performed on longitudinal radiographs of implants (n=24). Between 4 weeks and 8 weeks after the implant placement, trabecular bones showed increased intensity (Wilcoxon pairwise signed rank test, p<;;0.05). However, in 20 weeks, the intensity decreased. Furthermore, trabecular bones become shorter. Thickness of peri-implant bones gradually increased starting from 4 weeks and then decreased toward 20 weeks (quadratic regression, p<;;0.05). Our results suggest that routinely taken intraoral radiographs may be useful in assessing the status of peri-implant bones after implant placement.