Correlation Between Stress Distributions and Biological Reactions in Bone Surrounding Implants That Support Cantilevers in Supraocclusal Contact in Rats.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between stress distributions and peri-implant bone reactions around maxillary implants that support cantilevers in supraocclusal contact.

Materials And Methods: After molar extraction, 16 Wistar rats received a titanium implant unilaterally. After healing, 8 rats (control group) were killed and the others received implant-supported cantilever superstructures in supraocclusion (loaded group). After 5 days, they were killed. The maxillae of all rats were scanned by microcomputed tomography (μ-CT). Based on the μ-CT images, bone volumes were measured. For the loaded group, 3D finite element models were created and analyzed under 20-N vertical and 5-N lateral forces, successively. After μ-CT scanning, sections were prepared and observed histologically.

Results: When compared with the controls, the bone volume tended to decrease in the loaded group, but the difference was not statistically significant. On average, marginal bone resorption and stresses tended to be higher in 2 rats that occluded on the cantilever arm than in the others, which occluded right on the implant, nevertheless, calculated stress did not surpass the maximum elastic stress (yielding strength) of rat bone. However, at the implant-bone interface of these samples, partial bone resorption surrounded by signs of active resorption was histologically found.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that in this occlusally loaded rat model, the stress distributions correlated to some extent with bone volume and morphological changes observed on μ-CT images and histological sections.