Magnetic resonance imaging artifacts produced by dental implants with different geometries

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the MRI-artifact pattern produced by titanium and zirconia dental implants with different geometries (diameter and height). Methods: Three titanium (Titan SLA, Straumann) and three zirconia (Pure Ceramic Implant, Straumann) dental implants differing on their design (diameter x height) were installed in porcine bone samples. Samples were scanned with a MRI (3T, T1W turbo spin echo sequence, TR/TE 25/3.5ms, voxel size 0.22x0.22x0.50 mm, scan time 11:18). Micro-CT was used as control group (80kV, 125mA, voxel size 161 mu m). Artifacts' distribution was measured at vestibular and lingual sites, mesial and distal sites, and at the apex. Statistical analysis was performed with Within-ANOVA (p=0.05). Results: Artifacts distribution measured 2.57 +/- 1.09 mm for titanium artifacts and 0.37 +/- 0.20 mm for zirconia artifacts (p<0.05). Neither the measured sites (p=0.73) nor the implant geometries (p=0.43) influenced the appearance of artifacts. Conclusion: Artifacts were higher for titanium than zirconia implants. The artifacts pattern was similar for different dental implant geometries.