In-vitro Evaluation on Polyurethane Foam of NanoShort Dental Implants.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate on polyurethane foam sheets the Primary Implant Stability of a NanoShort compared to self-condenser Implant and to standard, conventional Implant.
Methods: Three implant designs were evaluated in the present in vitro investigation: Test Implant (NanoShort), Control A Implant (Self-Condenser) and Control B Implant (Standard design). The study was conducted comparing the Insertion Torque values, the Pull-out strength values, and the RFA values of Test and Control A and B Implants inserted in different thickness and density polyurethane foam models. The foam densities were 10 pounds per cubic foot (pcf), 20 pcf, and 30 pcf. Three thicknesses of polyurethane foams (1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm) were evaluated for a total of 640 experimental sites.(Fig1-2)
Results: The results were similar comparing the 2.5 and 3.5 Test Implants. Test implants had a good stability in 3 mm polyurethane sheets and 20-30 pcf densities. In 2 mm sheets, good stability of the Test implants was obtained only in the 30 pcf density. Control A Implants showed better results, when compared to Test implants, in 1, 2 and 3 mm polyurethane sheets, and in 10, 20, and 30 pcf densities. Control B Implants showed good results in 1 and 2 mm polyurethane sheets.
Conclusions: The NanoShort dental implant evaluated in this in vitro study showed a high level of stability in some experimental conditions, and could represent a useful tool, especially in the posterior mandible in alternative to vertical augmentation procedures.