Objective: This study aimed to investigate, in vitro, possible alterations on mini-implants surface after retrieval and if the cleaning process and sterilization can predispose damages. Materials and methods:Two commercial mini-implants were tested for deformations after drilling and removing in artificial bone four times. Samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, and surface alterations verified through thread and pitches deformation. To alterations caused by insertion/removal and the cleaning process and sterilization were verified in different procedures: Insertions and sterilization, only insertions, and only sterilization. Photomicrographs were analyzed in order to compare the surface characteristics. Head deformation was verified qualitatively. For a quantitative analysis, distances between threads were measured across the active part of the mini-implants. Results:No deformation was observed in both groups. The cleaning and sterilization processes did not provoke alteration in both groups. Nevertheless, the presence of synthetic bone was noted in some samples. The mean distances between implant threads were similar after all steps in all regions in both groups. Conclusion:The results suggest that the tested mini-implants can be retrieved without damage of its surface after four cycles of insertion, removal, and sterilization.

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Biomaterials are routinely used in dentistry for tissue engineering. The purpose of the present work is to compare the performance of a new alloplastic biomaterial (Blue-Bone®), xenogeneic biomaterial (Bio-Oss®), and a mixture of both biomaterials with 50% of autogenous bone. 32 Wistar rats underwent a surgical procedure in which a circular disc of bone was removed from the calvaria with a trephine drill 10 mm in diameter to create a critical bone defect, which was filled with the biomaterials under study. After 40 days, the animals were euthanized and the calvaria was removed for processing and analysis. Histomorphometric determination of vital mineralized tissue (VMT), no-vital mineralized tissue (NVMT), and on-mineralized tissue (NVMT) was performed. The results showed that, while Bio-Oss® had the best performance when used in conjunction with autogenous bone, the addition of autogenous bone did not significantly improve Blue-Bone® performance.