A study by Dr. Aleksa Markovic et al investigated the relationship between surgical techniques and self-tapping versus nonself-tapping implant design in terms of implant stability in the low-density bone present in the posterior maxilla. It involved a total of 102 implants: 56 self-tapping and 56 nonself-tapping. The implants were placed in the posterior segment of the maxilla in sites prepared with either lateral bone-condensing or with bone-drilling techniques. Implant stability measurements were performed immediately after implant placement and weekly during a 12-week follow-up period. The study found that both types of implants placed after bone condensing achieved significantly higher stability immediately after surgery, as well as during the entire 12-week observation period, compared with those placed following bone drilling. After bone condensation, there were no significant differences in primary stability or in implant stability after the first week between both implant types. From 2 to 12 postoperative weeks, significantly higher stability was shown by self-tapping implants. After bone drilling, self-tapping implants achieved significantly higher stability than nonself-tapping implants during the entire follow-up period. The authors conclude that the present study indicates that bone drilling is not an effective technique for improving implant stability and, following this technique, the use of self-tapping implants is highly recommended. Implant stability optimization in the soft bone can be achieved by lateral bone-condensing technique, regardless of implant macrodesign.
(Source: Markovic et al. “Evaluation of Primary Stability of Self-Tapping and Non-Self-Tapping Dental Implants. A 12-Week Clinical Study.” 2011. Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research. DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8208.2011.00415.x)
