Effect of bone to implant contact percentage on bone remodelling surrounding a dental implant

Dental implants are an effective, safe and predictable solution for patients suffering from tooth loss, but implant placement changes the normal mechanical environment of the jawbone leading to bone density redistribution and ‘remodelling’, in order to adapt to the new environment. Many bone remodelling theories assume the presence of 100% contact between bone and implant, which is inconsistent with clinical reality. About 50–80% bone–implant contact is commonly seen with clinically successful implants. The influence of different percentages of bone–implant contact on bone remodelling has not been investigated adequately. This study aims to evaluate this influence using a newly proposed remodelling algorithm through a 2D finite element model. Four different degrees of bone–implant contact (25, 50, 75 and 100%) are considered and their influences on the density distribution of the jawbone are evaluated. The predicted results indicate that no matter what the initial percentage of bone–implant contact (25–100%), the final outcome is about 58–60% contact when an equilibrium state is reached by bone remodelling. The results are consistent with clinical observations and findings.