ABSTRACT:

Considering that success of dental implants is not only related to osseointegration, but also with their survival rates, the aim of this study was to perform a literature review about bone remodeling around osseointegrated implants. A detailed search strategy was used for this, and articles published between the years 1930 and 2012 were selected. The rare data found in the literature demonstrated that implants are osseointegrated 30 days after their placement. However, active bone remodeling with osteoclasts and osteoblasts working in synchrony continues to occur. Therefore, after osseointegration, the initially formed bone, which presents characteristics of spongy bone, is gradually resorbed and replaced by compact bone after 90 days. Furthermore, other portions of bone tissue a little more distant from the interface, which establish direct contact with the implant, are also damaged during the drilling process, and therefore, they also need to be remodeled. Among the rare studies found in the literature about bone remodeling after osseointegration, there were no verified studies on the possible influence of implant surface treatments on bone remodeling that occurs after osseointegration. Only studies involving implants with machined surfaces have been conducted up to now.