Bone Remodeling Adjacent to Morse Cone-Connection Implants with Platform Switch: A Fluorescence Study in the Dog Mandible

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate, through fluorescence analysis, the effect that different interimplant distances, after prosthetic restoration, will have on bone remodeling in submerged and nonsubmerged implants restored with a "platform switch." Materials and Methods: Fifty-six Ankylos implants were placed 1.5 mm subcrestally in seven dogs. The implants were placed so that two fixed prostheses, with three interimplant contacts separated by 1-mm, 2-mm, and 3-mm distances, could be fabricated for each side of the mandible. The sides and the positions of the groups were selected randomly. To better evaluate bone remodeling, calcein green was injected 3 days before placement of the prostheses at 12 weeks postimplantation. At 3 days before sacrifice (8 weeks postloading), alizarin red was injected. The amounts of remodeled bone within the different interimplant areas were compared statistically before and after loading in submerged and nonsubmerged implants. Results: Statistically significant differences existed in the percentage of remodeled bone seen in the different regions. Mean percentages of remodeled bone in the submerged and nonsubmerged groups, respectively, were as follows: for the 1-mm distance, 23.0% ± 0.05% and 23.1% ± 0.03% preloading and 27.0% ± 0.03% and 25.2% ± 0.04% postloading; for the 2-mm distance, 18.2% ± 0.05% and 18.1% ± 0.04% preloading and 21.3% ± 0.07% and 19.9% ± 0.03% postloading; for the 3-mm distance, 18.3% ± 0.03% and 18.3% ± 0.03% preloading and 18.8% ± 0.04% and 19.8% ± 0.04% postloading; for distal-extension regions, 16.6% ± 0.02% and 17.4% ± 0.04% preloading and 17.0% ± 0.04% and 18.4% ± 0.04% postloading. Conclusions: Based upon this animal study, loading increases bone formation for submerged or nonsubmerged implants, and the interimplant distance of 1 mm appears to result in more pronounced bone remodeling than the 2-mm or 3-mm distances in implants with a "platform switch." Keywords: bone remodeling, dental implants, dogs, fluorescence, microscopy