The anchor oral endosteal implant

Since the accidental rediscovery of the endosteal implant by Formaggini in the late 1940's, the field has witnessed a tremendous evolution in theory and clinical application. Chercheve, in his efforts to improve on earlier spiral designs, proposed several theories on the relationship of the metallic endosteal implant to its osseous environment. Some of the problems he experienced still have not been overcome in our present designs. The development of the blade implant marked a true advancement in endosteal design. This implant proved to be much more functional and reliable than the spiral concept; however, it too had certain disadvantages which became obvious after a relatively short period of clinical trial. The anchor endosteal implant was developed as a result of efforts to correct the various problems associated with the blade. Preliminary animal research using both anchor and blade implants was begun. Four dogs had each type of implant inserted in edentulous areas. The animals were sacrificed four months post insertion for histologic examination. More sophisticated animal implant studies are being performed at the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center. Clinical evaluation of the anchor implant over a 3-year period has been very encouraging. Results have indicated a higher level of clinical success than previously achieved with blade or spiral designs.