Abstract
PURPOSE: It has been hypothesized that a correlation exists between the density of surrounding cortical bone and the stability of an implant under percussion loading that can be used to quantify the implant's osseointegration. The purpose of the present research was to explore whether quantitative percussion testing of dental implants gives reasonable indications of the level of osseointegration that are consistent with bone configuration and its influence on osseointegration quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from percussion testing of a live human subject, obtained using the Periometer, were compared with corresponding bone density estimates from high-resolution computed tomography images and postmortem percussion probe data. RESULTS: The results confirm the hypothesis that the nature of an implant's response to percussion is determined by its cortical bone support. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the cortical bone supporting the crestal and apical regions of the implant is primarily responsible for structural stability.