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The influence of mechanical loading on osseointegration: an animal study

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Abstract

Osseointegration of implant provides a stable support for the prosthesis under functional loads. The timing of loading is a critical parameter that can govern the success of the osseointegration of implant. However, it is not clear whether the early loading can affect the success of osseointegration, or whether the no-loading healing period can be shortened. This paper presents an animal study conducted to investigate how external loads influence the osseointegration at the initial stage of healing. Titanium implants were inserted into the goat tibia laterally, and different axial loadings were applied to the implants in 4 weeks after surgery. After the 2 weeks period of early loading, animals were sacrificed and the tibia bones with the implants were cut off from the bodies. Then mechanical test was employed to find out the differences in the pull-out force, and shear strength at the bone-implant interface between the non-loaded and the loaded implants. The implant-bone interfaces were analyzed by histomorphometric method, SEM (scanning electron micrograph) and EDS (energy density spectrum). The results indicated that the bone-implant interface did not well integrate 4 weeks after surgery, and the fibrous tissue could be found at the interfaces of the specimens without loadings. While the results of loaded specimens with 10 N axial force showed that that parts of the interface were well integrated, indicating that the early mild loading may play a positive role in the process of the osseointegration. The results support that a certain range of external loading would influence the process of osseointegration, and appropriate mechanical loading can be applied to shorten the osseointegration period after surgery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China

    YuBo Fan & KaiHua Xiu

  2. Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

    Xiang Dong & Ming Zhang

Authors
  1. YuBo Fan
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  2. KaiHua Xiu
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  3. Xiang Dong
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  4. Ming Zhang
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Correspondence to YuBo Fan.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30370376, 10529202 and 10672015).

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Fan, Y., Xiu, K., Dong, X. et al. The influence of mechanical loading on osseointegration: an animal study. SCI CHINA SER C 52, 579–586 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-009-0070-z

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