This study investigated the effects of three three-dimensional (3D) bone-to-implant contact (BIC) parameters—potential BIC area (pBICA), BIC area (BICA), and 3D BIC percentage (3D BIC%; defined as BICA divided by pBICA)—in relation to the implant diameter on primary implant stability, as well as their correlations were also evaluated.
Methods
Dental implants with diameters of 3.75, 4, 5, and 6 mm and artificial bone specimens were scanned by microcomputed tomography to construct 3D models for calculating pBICA, BICA, and 3D BIC%. Indexes of the primary implant stability including the insertion torque value (ITV), Periotest value (PTV), and implant stability quotient (ISQ) were measured after implants with various diameters were placed into bone specimens. The Kruskal–Wallis test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test with Bonferroni adjustment, and Spearman correlations were all performed as statistical and correlation analyses.
Results
The implant diameter significantly influenced pBICA and BICA, but not 3D BIC%. ITV and PTV were more sensitive to implant diameter than was ISQ. The coefficients of determination were high (>0.92) for the correlations between pBICA (or BICA) and indexes of the primary implant stability.
Conclusion
This study revealed how the implant diameter and the three-dimensional (3D) BIC influence the primary stabilities of dental implant. ITV and PTV were more sensitively influenced by the implant diameter than ISQ. The pBICA and BICA seem to be more important than 3D BIC % for using wider implant in treatment plan, since those two parameters are highly predictive of variations in the primary stability of dental implant.
