Intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation may affect bone volume around titanium implants in rats

BACKGROUND: A negative influence of smoking on implant outcomes has been reported. This animal study investigated the influence of cigarette smoke on osseointegration and newly formed bone within implant threads. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were included in the study. After anesthesia, the tibiae surface was exposed and a screw-shaped titanium implant (4.0 mm in length; 2.2 mm in diameter) was placed bilaterally. The animals were randomly assigned to group 1, control, or group 2, intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation. The animals were sacrificed after 60 days and undecalcified sections obtained. The degree of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and the bone area (BA) within the implant threads were measured in the cortical (zone A) and cancellous bone (zone B) areas. RESULTS: A slight difference in the BIC was noted between the groups, but this was not statistically significant either in zone A or in zone B (Mann-Whitney test, P > 0.05). In contrast, the BA close to the implant significantly decreased in both zones for group 2 (84.73% +/- 4.77 versus 79.85% +/- 6.17, zone A in groups 1 and 2, respectively, and 32.01% +/- 6.62 versus 20.71% +/- 8.57, zone B in groups 1 and 2, respectively, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Within the limits of the present study, intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation may result in a poor bone quality around titanium implants inserted in rats.