OBJECTIVE

he mechanisms of early failures in dental implant osseointegration are unclear. A possible cause of low levels of bone formation is lubricant contamination on implants during insertion.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

To explore the impact of lubricant contamination on dental implants, we used 5 New Zealand rabbits and inserted 2 implants per tibia in each animal for a total of 4 implants per animal (20 implants in total). In general, bicorticalization was achieved. The first implant was placed as suggested by the manufacturer with no lubricant used (control). The second implant was placed using a freshly lubricated contra-angle hand piece, which was used only for the test implants. Implant allocation was randomized, and the examining histologist was blinded to the results. All implants were placed by the same surgeon. The animals were maintained in accordance with animal experimentation guidelines.

RESULTS

None of the implants failed to osseointegrate. Moreover, no significant difference was observed between the test and control groups.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of this study, the use of rotary instrument mineral oil lubricant did not jeopardize the osseointegration of dental implants in New Zealand rabbits.