Objectives: Dental implants are routinely used with high success rates in generally healthy individuals. In contrast, their use in patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM) remains controversial as altered bone healing around implants has been reported. The majority of reports addressing the issue of osseointegration of implants in animals were performed in beta-cell cytotoxic-induced Type I diabetes. In this study, we assessed the osseointegration of implants in Gerbil Psammomys obesus, a model of nutritionally induced Type 2 DM.
Materials and methods: Titanium implants were inserted into the tibial medullary space of 140 male diabetic and control animals. One, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after implantation the tibias were removed for histomorphometric evaluation, which included trabecular bone volumes (TBV) and osseointegration.
Results: Two weeks following implantation, diabetic animals had slightly less mature bone when compared with control animals. This distinction was not present 4 weeks after implantation. Interestingly, no correlation was found between ossetointegration or TBV and glucose and insulin levels. Furthermore, no difference in osseointegration and TBV values was seen between the groups. The heterogeneity of serum glucose and insulin levels in this model and the possible role of insulin in bone metabolism are discussed.
Conclusions: No significant difference in osseointegration and TBV was seen between diabetic and control P. obesus, a model of nutritionally induced Type 2 DM.