In a study conducted under standardized conditions, 20 ITI hollow basket implants (Type F) were inserted into 10 dog mandibles. The plasma flame-sprayed coatings of the titanium implants that remained in situ or were exfoliated within 32 months were analyzed metallographically and compared with nonplaced implants. Eighty-two percent of the exfoliated retrieved and nonexfoliated implants showed a significantly decreased coating thickness. Fifteen percent of the ITI hollow-basket implants (Type F) fractured. This is in contrast to the behavior of TPS screw implants also examined in this study, none of which fractured. Keywords: animal study, decrease of coating thickness, implant fracture, plasma flame-sprayed coating, titanium implants