Improving osseointegration of dental implants

Abstract

In the beginning of implantology, the procedures adopted for treating patients were performed in two surgical phases with an interval of 3-6 months. Nowadays, it is possible to insert and load a dental implant in the same surgical procedure. This change is due to several factors, such as improvement of surgical technique, modifications of the implant design, increased quality of implant manufacturing, development of the surgical instruments' quality, careful patient screening and adequate treatment of the implant surface. The clinical results show that adequate treatment of surfaces is crucial for reducing healing time and treating at-risk patients. The surface properties of dental implants can be significantly improved at the manufacturing stage, affecting cells' activity during the healing phase that will ultimately determine the host tissue response, a fundamental requirement for clinical success. This review focuses on different types of dental implant surfaces and the influence of surface characteristics on osseointegration.