The influence of alendronate on osseointegration of nanotreated dental implants in New Zealand rabbits

Objectives: Growing clinical demands for stronger and faster bone bonding to the implant have motivated the development of methods enhancing osseointegration. Lately, the application of bisphosphonates (bis) in order to optimize bone healing has become a topic of great interest. N-containing bis, such as alendronate (ALN), are the more potent drugs of this class. It was the aim of this study to determine the effect of ALN on the osseointegration of a well-documented nanotreated implant system in a rabbit femoral condyle model. Material and methods: Thirty-two adult female New Zealand White rabbits received one implant (3.25 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length) in their left femoral condyle, a week after they were ovariectomized. Half of them were saline treated (control, group A) and the other half were ALN treated (group B). Rabbits from both groups were euthanized after 6 and 12 weeks, respectively. Results: The specimens were evaluated histologically and histomorphometrically. Upon histological evaluation, no obvious differences were found between the control and the treatment group. Implants showed good integration into the bone tissue surrounding them. There were also no statistically significant differences in bone-to-implant contact and the amount of bone tissue in the immediate neighborhood of the implant at both healing periods. Conclusions: The systemic administration of ALN was not found to affect histological osseointegration of implants in animals with a hormonal status resembling that of postmenopausal healthy women. Further research will be needed to investigate this approach.