Evaluation of an endosseous titanium implant with a sandblasted and acid-etched surface in the canine mandible: Radiographic results

Previous studies have demonstrated in short-term experiments that a sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA) titanium implant had a greater bone-to-implant contact than a titanium plasma-sprayed (TPS) implant in non-oral bone. In the present study, an SLA implant was compared radiographically to a TPS implant under unloaded and loaded conditions in the canine mandible for up to 15 months. 69 implants were placed in 6 foxhounds. Standardized radiographs were taken at baseline, preload, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of loading. Loaded implants were restored with gold crowns similar to the natural dentition. Radiographic assessment of the bone response to the implants was carried out by measuring the distance between the implant shoulder and the most coronal bone-to-implant contact (DIB) and by evaluation of bone density changes using computer-assisted densitometric image analysis (CADIA). 5 different areas-of-interest (AOI) were defined coronally and apically along the implant. DIB measurements revealed that SLA implants had significantly less bone height loss (0.52 mm) than TPS implants (0.69 mm) at the preload evaluation (p=0.0142) as well as at 3 months of loading (0.73 mm/1.06 mm; p=0.0337). This difference was maintained between the implant types during the 1-year follow-up period. The same trend was also evident for CADIA measurements with SLA implants showing higher crestal bone density values when comparing preload to baseline data (p=0.0890) and 3 months to baseline data (p=0.0912). No measurable bone density changes were apparent in the apical areas of either implant. These results suggest that SLA implants are superior to TPS implants as measured radiographically in oral bone under unloaded and loaded conditions.