Stability of the Bone-Implant Complex. Results of Longitudinal Testing to 60 Months With the Periotest Device on Endosseous Dental Implants

Background: Maintenance of the health and integrity of the bone-implant complex (osseointegration) has been shown to be essential for long-term success of root-form, endosseous dental implants. If reliable clinical indicators of adequacy of the bone-implant complex existed, they could stimulate new and innovative early intervention research to arrest or reverse early deterioration of the bone-implant complex. In the absence of such indicators, this has been problematic. The Periotest may have the potential to provide this information by indirectly assessing the status of the bone-implant complex. However, little information is available that documents either the capability of the Periotest to reliably assess changes of the bone-implant complex or the "normal variations" in Periotest values (PTVs) for both HA-coated and non-coated implants. Methods: The purpose of this paper was to document changes in PTVs as influenced by various implant surfaces, implant designs, and bone densities. The mean PTVs recorde...