Micro/nanostructural properties of peri-implant jaw bones: a human cadaver study

PURPOSE: Many points concerning the structure of osseointegration and the surrounding jaw bone remain unclear, and its optimal histological form has yet to be identified. The aim of this study was to clarify the structural characteristics of peri-implant jaw bone on the micro- and nano-scales by quantitatively evaluating bone quality. METHODS: Five samples of human mandibular bone containing dental implants and one dentate sample that had been in place for some years while the donors were still alive were collected. Bulk staining was performed, and 100-μm-thick polished specimens were prepared. The osteon distributions in peri-implant bone and mandibular cortical bone were measured, after which alignment analysis of biological apatite (BAp) crystallites and anisotropy analysis of collagen fiber orientation using second-harmonic generation imaging were carried out. RESULTS: Osteons in the vicinity of the implant body ran parallel to it. In the cortical bone at the base of the mandible, however, most osteons were oriented mesiodistally. The preferential alignment of BAp crystallites was generally consistent with osteon orientation. The orientation of collagen fibers in peri-implant jaw bone resembled the concentric rings seen in normal cortical bone, but there were also fibers that ran orthogonally across these concentric fibers. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the mechanical strain imposed by implants causes the growth of cortical bone-like bone in areas that would normally consist of cancellous bone around the implants, and that its structural characteristics are optimized for the load environment of the peri-implant jaw bone.