Histological evidence of osseointegration 4 years after implantation. A case report.

Abstract

Histological examinations of clinically successful dental implants are very rare in the literature. This article presents a clinical case where an ITI hollow-cylinder titanium implant type F (red mark, 16 mm) had to be removed simultaneously with the resection of a squamous cell carcinoma of the lower jaw. The duration of functional loading of the implant was 49 months. The fixture was situated at the margin of the tissue to be resected during tumor surgery and could therefore be prepared as a histological specimen independent of the tumorous tissue. In the sections obtained, close contact of alveolar bone to the implant surface was clearly visible. Together with the clinical success of the implant, criteria of osseointegration seems to have been matched. This observation represents the longest histological survey of a clinically successful fixture of this implant system.