Histological Study of Dental Implants using Bioactive Glass. Bone Formation around Bioactive Glass.

Abstract

Bioactive glass has been known as a material which can directly bind to bone, and the application of it to the field of dental implants has been attempted. However, few investigations on the progress of bone formation around the bioactive glass in the jaw bone have been reported. The purposes of this study were to examine the bone formation around bioactive glass, and to study the influences of the jaw bone condition on bone formation. Conditions of the jaw bone were determined according to the elapsed time between tooth extraction and implant insertion. The mandibular fourth premolars of 6 beagles were extracted, and implants were inserted into the same places at 4, 8, and 12 week intervals. In all cases, after 2 weeks a layer of newly formed bone tissue of various maturation levels were found to be in direct contact with the bioactive glass. Furthermore, bone maturation was found to be more prominent after 8 weeks. This result may suggest that bioactive glass can bind to bone without much influence from the condition of the jaw bone.