Suitability of x-ray monitoring for the state of bone tissue at the peri-implant area during the period of 7-14 days after dental implants placement for the registration of potential signs of osteointegration disorders

Abstract

Introduction. The X-ray control method remains one of the most reliable approaches for assessing changes in the peri-implant bone tissue and the functional state of the dental implant as a whole, as it allows to detect signs of excessive loss of the vertical level of the bone relative to the implant platform and the area of radiolucency of various degrees of severity and prevalence, the presence of which itself can help to suspect compromising prognosis of the intraosseous fixture. Objective. To evaluate the significance of changes in the optical density of bone tissue in the period 7-14 days after the dental implants placement while comparing such in the areas of fixtures that were subsequently lost in the early periods of monitoring, and in the areas of fixtures that were characterized by successful prolonged functioning. Materials and methods. The studied group of radiographs consisted of images taken at the time of early implant disintegration diagnostics, and the compared group consisted of radiographs of implants that were characterized by successful functioning and taken at the same period of observation. All X-rays were anonymized and converted to graphic format *.png. After that, the images were imported into the BoneJ plugin software, in which the average bone density was determined in areas 1 mm wide immediately around the installed dental implant, as well as at a distance of 3 mm from the dental implant and 3 mm from the surrounding teeth (if present). Research results. The difference in the optical density of bone tissue in the peri-implant area and areas remote from implantation registered 7-14 days after fixture placement in the cases of dental implants disintegrated in the early period and those that were characterized with successful functioning was not statistically substantiated and was characterized by a pronounced level of variations in each individual analyzed case ( p > 0,05). Statistical analysis confirmed that the main regressor in the structure of the prediction of changes in bone tissue at the peri-implant area 7-14 days after the intraosseous fixture placement was the average optical density of bone tissue in areas far from the implantation site, which were used as references during the comparison. Conclusions. According to the obtained data, X-ray control of the state of peri-implant bone tissue in the period 7-14 days after the dental implant placement purely for the purpose of early verification of signs of disintegration in the absence of adjacent clinical symptoms is impractical, since during this period changes in bone tissue are associated with remodeling as response to surgical trauma, and are characterized by a significant variation in changes of optical density indicators, which largely depend on the initial state of the bone tissue and the specifics of the manipulation. In addition, registered radiological changes of the peri-implant bone tissue in the period 7-14 days after the placement of intraosseous fixtures not associated with any clinical symptoms, cannot be used as predictors of the probability for early loss of dental implants.