The time from implant placement to loading is an important factor in treatment; reducing treatment time is a goal of patients and clinicians alike. A study by Trisi, et aloriginally published in the Journal of Periodontology, compared machined implant surfaces with dual acid-etched implant surfaces in terms of bone-implant contact, bone volume, and expected bone contact. Implants placed in the posterior maxilla were allowed to integrate for 2 months, then they were removed and stained for histologic and histomorphometfic analysis. The study found that the bone-implant contact for the dual acid-etched surfaces was 47.81%, which was an increase of 39.14% compared to the expected bone contact. In comparison, the bone-implant contact for the machined implant surfaces was 19%, which was a decline of 44.7% and indicated a loss of bone contact. The dual acid-etched surfaces had higher cone-implant contact values then the machined surfaces in all but one case. The study concluded that the use of the dual acid-etched surface implant was associated with a high degree of clinical success.
(Source: Dental Abstracts, Vol. 49, No. 2, 2004)
