Osseointegration of oxidized and turned implants in circumferential bone defects with and without adjunctive therapies: an experimental study on BMP-2 and autogenous bone graft in the dog mandible

The aim of the study was to compare the integration and implant stability of turned and oxidized titanium implants when placed in experimental bone defects with autogenous bone graft, BMP-2 or without adjunctive therapy. Four defects were prepared on each side of the mandible of 12 mongrel dogs five months after tooth extractions. Implants with turned and oxidized surfaces were placed in the defects. The circumferential gaps were filled with either autogenous bone grafts, a BMP-allogeneic dog mixture in a thermoplastic carrier, carrier alone or left without any treatment (control). There were no statistically significant differences between control and treated sites, neither for turned nor for oxidized implants with regard to histomorphometric measurements in ground sections and to implant stability as measured with resonance frequency analysis (RFA) after 4 and 12 weeks of heating. However, oxidized implants showed a significantly higher stability after 4 weeks and a tendency (p < 0.1) of that after 12 weeks. Histomorphometry showed more bone contacts for oxidized than for turned implants. It is concluded that oxidized implants gain stability more rapidly and integrate with more bone contacts than implants with a turned surface when placed in bone defects.