Short-term Osseointegration Ability Of Zirconium Implants: A Histological Study In Dog

Several studies have shown the capacity of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) for osseointegration. However, only a few zirconium implants manufacturers provide histological data on the osseointegration obtained with their implant system. This work aims to evaluate the ability of ZIR.ROC (R) zirconium implants for short-term osseointegration histologically in dog. Sixteen zirconium implants were inserted into the jaws of two creole dogs. Eight weeks later, longitudinal thin undecalcified sections of the implants with surrounding tissues were observed using light microscopy. Histomorphometry allowed quantification of bone-implant contact Surface. Micrographs showed direct bone contact on zirconium surface of persistent implants. Mean percentages of palatal/lingual and buccal bone-implant contact averaged over all implants were respectively 39.60% and 39.38%. Despite lessened healing conditions due to an infectious complication, results demonstrated that zirconium implants used in this study achieved short-term osseointegration in dog with histomorphometric values similar to those of equivalent studies.