Assessment of correlation between computerized tomography values of the bone, and maximum torque and resonance frequency values at dental implant placement

The aim of this study was to determine the bone density in the designated implant sites using computerized tomography (CT), the fastening torque values of dental implants, and the implant stability values using resonance frequency analysis. Further aim was to evaluate a possible correlation between bone density, fastening torque and implant stability. Eighty-five patients were treated with 158 Branemark System implants. CT machine was used for preoperative evaluation of the jawbone for each patient, and bone densities were recorded in Hounsfield units (HU). The fastening torque values of all implants were recorded with the OsseoCare equipment. Implant stability measurements were performed with the Osstell machine. The average bone density and fastening torque values were 751.4 +/- 256 HU and 39.7 +/- 7 Ncm for 158 implants. The average primary implant stability was 73.2 +/- 6 ISQ for seventy implants. Strong correlations were observed between the bone density, fastening torque and implant stability values of Branemark System TiUnite MKIII implants at implant placement (P < 0.001). These results strengthen the hypothesis that it may be possible to predict and quantify initial implant stability and bone quality from pre-surgical CT diagnosis.