Background and objective: The aim of the present in vivo study was to measure the bone implant contact area after electrical stimulation of dental implants.
Material and methods: Ninety titanium dental implants (6 mm × 11.5 mm) with a smooth surface were placed in six male Beagle dogs and then the implant-bone interfaces was assessed by histological analyses after 7 and 15 d. The 12-mo-old dogs, with a weight of 15 kg, were randomly divided into two groups based on the duration of bone healing: 7 and 15 d. Also, implants were divided into three groups based on electrical stimulation: group A, 10 μA; group B, 20 μA; and group C, control group. The electrical current was applied by an electrical device coupled to the implant connection.
Results: After 7 d of electrical stimulation, no statistical differences in bone-implant interface contact area were observed. However, a significantly higher bone-implant interface contact area was recorded for group B than for groups A and C (p < 0.01) after 15 d. No statistical difference was observed between groups A and C (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: The electrical stimulation of dental implants can generate a larger area of bone-implant interface contact as a result of bone formation. Factors such as different electrical current intensity and duration should be studied in further work to clarify the potential of this method.
Keywords: bone formation; electrical stimulation; titanium implant.
© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.