Assessing stability (Osseointegration) of dental implants using RFA and DSR

Assessing stability (Osseointegration) of dental implants using RFA and DSR
J. SHAH, M. ABU-SERRIAH, A. AYOUB, and K. MOOS, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
March 2004
Clinical Implant Studies
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Resonance Frequency analysis (RFA) and Digital subtraction radiography (DSR) in assessing the stability around dental implants, to investigate any relationship (correlation) between the two methods and to assess the reproducibility and accuracy of the results obtained.
Methods: Six completely edentulous patients participated in this study. Each patient had two Endopore dental implants inserted in the canine regions of the mandible. The stability of these implants was assessed using RFA and DSR on three occasions (immediately following implant insertion, at 6-weeks and 12-weeks post-operatively).
Results: Both techniques showed sensitivity towards detecting changes occurring in the bone around the implants during the 12-weeks assessment period. Although an initial greater drop in implant stability was recorded on the left side compared to right side using RFA, this evened out at 12-weeks post-operatively. There was no significant difference between right and left side (inter) of the mandible (p> 0.05). The DSR detected marginal bone resorption around the implants, which was initially greater on the right side but later, was greater on the left side. This evened out on both sides at 12-weeks post-operatively. There was again no significant difference between right and left sides (inter) of the mandible (p> 0.05). There was no strong relationship shown between the two methods during the 12-week assessment as shown by Spearmans rank correlation test. Both techniques showed a high degree of reproducibility (RFA 98.5%, DSR 97.8%) and a minimum error in the accuracy of the results (RFA 0.9%, DSR 1.3%).