Objectives: Composite materials made of alumina and zirconia have been widely studied and successfully proposed for orthopedic application, due to their volumetric stability, the increased material toughness and a bioactivity allowing the osseointegration, when proper surface treatments are performed. Also, oxidic composites are very suitable to aesthetic oral rehabilitations, especially in the anterior part of the mouth. This study aimed to compare the Bone to Implant Contact (BIC) of clinical use titanium dental implants (Nobel Active) to that of implants made of Alumina Toughened Zirconia (ATZ). Methods: ATZ dental implants were made by CAD/CAM techniques and treated with a patented hydro-thermal cycle to activate their surface for the osseointegration process. ATZ and titanium (Nobel Active) dental implants were placed in the tibiae of 16 mini-pigs. Animals were euthanized at 28 and 56 days and the peri-implant bone was harvested for histomorphometric analysis. The vascularization and the histological structure of the peri-implant bone were assessed by traditional histologic stainings (E&E). Specimens were examined and images acquired with an Olympus BX51 equipped with a DotSlide 2.1 software. Two indipendent pathologists determined the BIC, by working in single blind, following an established protocol. Results: The BIC values differed in a statistically significant way between the ATZ and the titanium samples at day 56 (ATZ= 53.3% ± 6.5, Ti=35.3% ± 1.9). At 28 days no significant difference could be found (ATZ= 35.4% ± 3.5, Ti=32.1% ± 6.4). Conclusions: ATZ based composite materials may be a promising candidate for dental implant fabrication. However, further mechanical studies are urged to assess their suitability for clinical purposes. The ATZ based dental implant prototype described is patented (UNITO-CNR patent).
Oxidic composites for dental implant application: an in-vivo study
MUSSANO, Federico Davide Costanti;SCHIERANO, Gianmario;CAROSSA, Stefano
2012-01-01
Abstract
Objectives: Composite materials made of alumina and zirconia have been widely studied and successfully proposed for orthopedic application, due to their volumetric stability, the increased material toughness and a bioactivity allowing the osseointegration, when proper surface treatments are performed. Also, oxidic composites are very suitable to aesthetic oral rehabilitations, especially in the anterior part of the mouth. This study aimed to compare the Bone to Implant Contact (BIC) of clinical use titanium dental implants (Nobel Active) to that of implants made of Alumina Toughened Zirconia (ATZ). Methods: ATZ dental implants were made by CAD/CAM techniques and treated with a patented hydro-thermal cycle to activate their surface for the osseointegration process. ATZ and titanium (Nobel Active) dental implants were placed in the tibiae of 16 mini-pigs. Animals were euthanized at 28 and 56 days and the peri-implant bone was harvested for histomorphometric analysis. The vascularization and the histological structure of the peri-implant bone were assessed by traditional histologic stainings (E&E). Specimens were examined and images acquired with an Olympus BX51 equipped with a DotSlide 2.1 software. Two indipendent pathologists determined the BIC, by working in single blind, following an established protocol. Results: The BIC values differed in a statistically significant way between the ATZ and the titanium samples at day 56 (ATZ= 53.3% ± 6.5, Ti=35.3% ± 1.9). At 28 days no significant difference could be found (ATZ= 35.4% ± 3.5, Ti=32.1% ± 6.4). Conclusions: ATZ based composite materials may be a promising candidate for dental implant fabrication. However, further mechanical studies are urged to assess their suitability for clinical purposes. The ATZ based dental implant prototype described is patented (UNITO-CNR patent).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.