Bone Responses to Simvastatin-Loaded Porous Implant Surfaces in an Ovariectomized Model

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate bone responses to simvastatin-loaded porous implant surfaces in an ovariectomized model. Materials and Methods: Roughened implants were divided into a control group (n = 32), test group 1 (n = 32), and test group 2 (n = 32). Test implants were immersed into 10-7 mol/L (test group 1) or 10-6 mol/L (test group 2) simvastatin solutions for drug adsorption onto implant surfaces. Forty-eight ovariectomized rats randomly received an implant in each tibia. One, 2, 4, and 12 weeks later, the tibiae were retrieved and prepared for histomorphometric evaluation. Bone-to-implant contact and bone area around the implant were determined, and histologic observations were made. Results: New bone formation on test implant surfaces was seen after 1 week, while it was seen on the control implant surface after 2 weeks. There was more bone tissue and bone-to-implant contact along the test implant surfaces than along the control implant surface. The test group 1 and test group 2 implants showed significantly greater bone area and bone-to-implant contact compared to the control implant at all observed time points (P .05). No differences were found between the two types of test group implants after 1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks (P > .05). Conclusion: Simvastatin-loaded porous implant surfaces have the potential to improve implant osseointegration in an ovariectomized rat model. Keywords: bone area, bone-to-implant contact, dental implant, osseointegration, simvastatin