Development of Bone-Implant Interface During Healing Phase of Dental Implants

Dental implants serve as artificial abutments to support a prosthetic appliance. Occlusal function and load is usually transmitted from the prosthetic apliance through the implant, to hard tissues touching the implant. It is therefore crucial to achieve an intimate interface of the implant with most possible dense bone. The structure of the mandible and maxilla consists of cortical bone which has considerable strength because of its high density and of trabecular bone which is much less dense or strong. The amount of cortical and trabecular bone varies due to sex, age, anterior versus posterior part of the jaw and mandible versus maxilla. It has also individual variations. Anatomically the peripheral part of the jaws consists usually of cortical bone and the inner part is trabecular. It is therefore proper to expect that implant modalities are designed to achieve maximal initial anchorage in the cortical bone and prevent if possible irreversible resorption of this bone.