ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Dental implant distractors (DID) are an efficacious means of simultaneously augmenting the vertical bony height together with the installation of dental implants. Little is known about their biomechanical properties and osteointegration ability in the free fibula flap, where the periosteum is invariably damaged during the multiple osteotomies required for contouring purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four DID devices inserted into the tibias of 12 goats were evenly divided into three groups - whole periosteum (WP), half periosteum (HP), no periosteum (NP). Following 10 days of distraction and a 12 week consolidation period, the animals were euthanized to retrieve all 12 tibias. The bone-implant bonded percentage (BIBP) and removal torques (RTQ) of each fixture were determined and statistically compared across the various groups. RESULTS: A slight decrease in both BIBP and RTQ values was observed across the WP, HP, and NP groups, respectively, with statistically significant differences in the BIBP for the WP and NP groups only. CONCLUSION: We conclude that although an intact periosteum is ideal for the osteointegration of the DID fixture, adequate stability can still be achieved due to the sufficient anchorage accorded by the base screws in the apical cortex.
