Histological evaluation of oral implants inserted with different surgical techniques into the trabecular bone of goats

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of implant surface topography and surgical technique on bone response. Material and methods: For the experiment, 48 screw-designed implants were used with two different surface finishes, i.e. machined and 'blasted, etched'. The implants were inserted into the left and right medial femoral condyle of eight goats using three different surgical approaches: press-fit (implant diameter=implant bed diamete(r), undersized (implant bed diameter < implant diameter) and osteotome. Each femoral condyle received three implants. After an implantation period of 12 weeks, the implants were retrieved and prepared for histological and histomorphometrical evaluation (bone contact and bone mass). Results: Light microscopy revealed that in general, the bone response to all implants was very similar. On the other hand, histomorphometry suggested that the bone-to-implant contact for the 'blasted, etched' implants inserted by an undersized technique was higher compared with machined implants and the other surgical approaches, but the observed differences were not significant. Bone mass measurements did not reveal the occurrence of clear differences between groups and surgical approaches. Conclusion: Supported by our findings, we conclude that implants provided with a 'blasted, etched' surface and installed in trabecular bone using an undersized preparation technique appear to support an enhanced bone-implant contact. The use of an osteotome technique did not lead to improved results.