The effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on bone tissue reactions to c.p. titanium implants placed in free autogenous bone grafts. A histomorphometric study in the rabbit mandible.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on the tissue reactions to commercially pure (c.p.) titanium implants placed in free autogenous bone graft by a 1-stage procedure. Eighty c.p. titanium implants were placed in the bone grafted from iliac crest to bilateral mandible of 40 Japanese white rabbits without tapping. Twenty rabbits underwent daily a HBO treatment for 60 min under 2.4 ATA during 20 consecutive days and the other untreated 20 rabbits served as controls. The implants with surrounding bone tissue were retrieved 20, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after surgery, fixated, dehydrated and embedded in resin. About 20 microns thick ground sections were prepared prior to microscopical observations. The bone area and the bone-to-implant contact inside the threads were calculated separately in the grafted bone and in the host bone for each implant. After 30 and up to 120 days, the HBO treated group showed more bone-to-implant contacts in the grafted bone as compared to the non-HBO treated group. In the host bone there were no differences observed between HBO and non-HBO treated groups. This study indicated that HBO treatment was beneficial for the tissue incorporation of c.p. titanium implants when placed immediately in free autogenous bone grafts.