New method for tooth implants
A new method makes it easier for patients who have lost a large amount of bone in the rear part of their upper jaw to be given tooth implants. In some cases, the jaw surgeon can completely avoid a bone transplant, as a thesis from Sahlgrenska Academy shows.
Loss of bone in the upper jaw can occur for example if the patient suffers from severe periodontosis. If the patient has lost a large amount of bone, a bone transplant may be necessary before an implant can fuse properly. After the transplant, the patient must wait about six months before the implant can be screwed into place. - Bone transplants are costly and time-consuming. We often use bone from the patient´s hip or lower jaw and such operations are naturally far from being problem-free procedures, says jaw surgeon Andreas Thor.
The new method was originally developed by researchers in Umeå and involves the jaw surgeon fixing the implant in the bottom of the maxillary antrum without the patient first undergoing a bone transplant.
In his study, Andreas Thor treated 20 patients who had too little bone in the rear part of their upper jaw. The patients had lost more bone than the patients who had early undergone the new treatment and the results open up for more patients to be offered the simpler treatment.
- Surgically speaking, it is a tricky technique, but when it works it holds great gains for everyone concerned. Instead of taking the detour around the healing of a transplant, new bone can be formed directly on and around the implant, says Andreas Thor.
The implant raises the mucous membrane and the patient´s own blood collects in the cavity at the implant site. After six months bone has formed around the titanium screw.
The titanium screws used in the study were modified in a special way that means that they are slightly less rough. The surface modification probably allowed the blood to react more effectively and the body´s own healing ability was activated more strongly, says Andreas Thor.
In an experimental study, Andreas Thor shows that normal blood reacts better with the surface-modified titanium screw than concentrated platelets produced from the patient´s own blood, so-called platelet-rich plasma.
- In our testing chamber we were able to see that the surface-modified titanium reacted better with normal whole blood. Coagulation and the release of growth factors was stronger, which gives us some interesting leads as to how it can work in humans, he goes on.
Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Department of Biomaterials Science
Title: On Platelet-Rich Plasma in Reconstructive Dental Implant Surgery
