Histological analysis of explanted implant-bone interface: a case report

ABSTRACT

Osseointegration has been reported to be a dynamic process in which the alveolar bone comes in direct contact with the implant. Various methods were tried to evaluate degree of osseointegration and the measurement of bone-implant contact (BIC) have been commonly used among them. To properly assess the BIC, only histologic analysis is available. However, few studies evaluated BIC of successfully osseointegrated implants in humans. Thus, this is a unique opportunity when implants should be explanted due to inappropriate positioning of implant, presence of pain or sensory disturbance, or broken screw or fixture. This report presents a case of the implant underwent 3-year functional load and a histologic analysis after the fixture fracture. The histomorphometric analysis revealed 53.1% of BIC measured along the whole implant and 70.9% measured only in subcrestal area, respectively. In the present study, although the implant was fractured, a high degree of BIC was observed.