Microthreaded dental implants preserve crestal bone

To combat these issues, people often turn to dental implants to replace lost teeth. As the number of tooth replacements increase, it is imperative to design an implant that will uphold the integrity of an individual’s mouth structure.

Researchers from the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and the University of Kentucky published a study in the Journal of Oral Implantology that investigated how the design of the implant affects the mouth – specifically, if using a microthreaded-neck design would preserve more of the crestal bone (the part of the bone at the top or ‘neck’ of the implant that supports the replacement teeth). The researchers conducted a systematic review of 23 articles to test their hypothesis.

These articles were derived from three electronic scientific databases and published between January 1995 and June 2016. The review analysed the effectiveness of using an implant with a microthreaded-neck design versus the more traditional machine- or rough-surface implants. The researchers concluded that the addition of deeper threads on the implant allowed for more stabilisation between the implant and the bone, especially with weaker bones. They also noted that the threads created more bone-to-implant contact and allowed for more of the bone to be preserved.