Effect of implant fixtures with blood pocket designed platforms on crestal bone

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an implant with a blood pocket designed platform on the crestal bone by analyzing the stress distribution upon simulated application of occlusal forces and assessing its clinical role in marginal bone loss surrounding the implant. Stress exerted on the cortical and cancellous bones of three different platform type implants (URIS, TSIII, and Astra EV) were analyzed using finite element analysis (FEA). A load of 150 N was applied at 0°, 45°, and 90° angles to the long axis of each implant, and marginal bone loss in the implanted URIS fixtures (blood pocket designed platform) after immediate and delayed loading was measured. FEA showed that the stress generated on the fixture upon loading of the URIS implant was lower than that of the other two implants. The URIS implant also exerted the lowest stress on the cortical bone upon application of vertical pressure at an angle of 0° to the long axis of the fixture. The mean marginal bone loss in the alveolar bone was 1.01±0.33 mm and 0.46±0.30 mm upon immediate and delayed loading, respectively. FEA also indicated that implants with blood pocket designed platforms exhibited better stress distribution in the implant fixture and cortical bone under vertical pressure when compared to the fixtures of other designs. The marginal bone loss observed one year after loading of the URIS implant in the current study was lower than that reported previously.