Immediate Placement of Implants into Periodontally Infected Sites in Dogs: A Histomorphometric Study of Bone-Implant Contact

Purpose: The placement of implants allows for re-establishment of function and esthetics following tooth loss. Immediate implant placement is a relatively recent procedure and has advantages, such as reduced number of surgical procedures, preservation of alveolar bone, reduction of cost and period of edentulism, and increased patient acceptance. However, there are some specific contraindications for the technique, such as the presence of an infection caused by periodontal disease and periapical lesions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the percentage of bone-implant contact of immediate implants placed in periodontally infected sites. Materials and Methods: In the first phase, periodontitis was induced with ligatures in the mandibular premolars of 5 mongrel dogs, using the contralateral teeth as controls (received prophylaxis only). After 3 months, in the second phase of the study, 40 implants were placed in the alveoli of both experimental and control teeth. After a healing period of 12 weeks, the animals were euthanized, and the hemimandibles were removed, dissected, fixed, and prepared for histomorphometric analysis of percentage of bone-implant contact. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The results of the histomorphometric analysis indicated mean bone-implant contact of 62.4% in the control group and 66.0% in the experimental group, a difference that was not statistically significant. Discussion: Histomorphometric results revealed similar bone-implant contact in both groups, with no signs of infection. Conclusions: It was concluded that periodontally infected sites may not be a contraindication for immediate implantation in this animal model system, if adequate pre- and postoperative care is taken.