Background: To assess heat production using osteotomes under conditions simulating implant placement in D3, D4 bone.
Material and methods: Implant osteotomes were tested (Winsix, Biosafin, Italy). Site preparations were performed on porcine ribs through a compressive fashion. The ribs were partially immersed in a custom-made water bath/water pump system that maintained the baseline temperature at 36 °C. Temperatures generated at different depths (2, 5, and 9 mm) during a series of 25 osteotomies were measured using 3 thermocouples connected to a digital thermometer.
Results: The mean temperatures never exceeded 37 °C and were all significantly lower than those reported during preparation with standard implant drills. Statistical evaluation of the temperature during implant site preparation showed slight significant variations between the baseline values and those of the different depth preparations.
Conclusions: Within the limits of this study, the production of heat during implant preparation using osteotomes shows significant variations at different depths. However, these variations are not clinically relevant because they never increased over the values that negatively affect bone that may jeopardize osseointegration.