Anoop Nair, Reshma Kulkarni, Kiran Kumar, D.R Prithviraj

ABSTRACT

AIM:To evaluate the osseointegration of custom made zirconia implants in comparison to titanium in-vivo conditions .MATERIALS AND METHODS:. This study was approved by the ethical committee of Government dental college and research institute, Bangalore. For the study purpose, sample size of 15 patients with bilaterally missing lower first molar reporting to the dept. of prosthodontics,gdcri,Bangalore were included and commercially available yttria stabilized zirconia blocks (Amanngirrback Germany) were used for fabricating custom made zirconia implants which were used as test implants and commercially available titanium implants (osstem system) were used as controlA split mouth design was developed with zirconia as a test specimen on one side and titanium implant as a control on the other. The implant site allocation was done randomly using sealed envelopes containing randomization codes and missing bilateral first molar was considered for implant placement. Custom made zirconia implants were made by copymilling the corresponding titanium implant, size of which was determined using radiographic analysis and bone mapping .After implant placement both groups were evaluated for bone loss ,plaque index and probing depth in 6,12,24 months. Data was collected and statistically analysed. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p>0.05) CONCLUSION: Within the limits of study, it is suggested that Zirconia implants display features of osseointegration and soft tissue changes similar to those of Titanium implants. These results are promising in using Zirconia implants for dental applications in the future. Further long term studies are recommended with larger sample size for predictable survival and success rates of Zirconia