A small animal model for investigating endosseous dental implants: Effect of graft materials on healing of endosseous porous-surfaced implants in a fresh extraction socket

A small animal model to investigate materials and implant designs intended for use as immediate replacements for extracted teeth has been developed. The effect of biological graft materials such as mineralized bone powder, demineralized bone powder, and collagen (Zyderm) on healing in relation to an endosseous porous-coated Co-Cr alloy implant placed into an extraction socket is reported. Testing of the data by analysis of variance revealed that the use of graft material improved healing by bone significantly (P .01). The Duncan Multicomparison Test (α = .05) showed that Zyderm produced significant improved healing over the demineralized bone powder and implant alone.