The clinical measurement of implant stability is very important for predicting the success of implants. Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) has been reported as a method of measuring implant stability as a non-invasive procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between cortical bone thickness, bone mineraldensity (BMD) and RFA value.
After measuring the thickness and BMD of pig's mandibular cortical bone by quantitative computed tomography, 20 screw-shaped dental implants were installed, then RFA was examined. The correlation between different parameters was statistically analyzed.
The results were as follows.
1. Relatively high RFA value was obtained even in the case of a small bone-implant contact.
2. The RFA value was not correlated with the thickness of the cortical bone.
3. The RFA value was correlated significantly with the BMD of the cortical bone.
These results indicate that BMD of the cortical bone predominantly affects initial stability of the implant.