Estrogen deficiency has a negative effect on implant osseointegration in the maxillary bone of rats, according to a study published in the April issue of Journal of Oral Implantology.
Researchers also found that alendronate (ALD), an aminobisphosphonate, may improve the quality and quantity of bone available for a successful implant.
Bisphosphonates, potent bone antiresorptive agents, are known to be some of the most reliable and prevalent drugs in osteoporosis treatment. The efficacy of bisphosphonates has been demonstrated in osteoporosis, as well as in various other metabolic bone disorders such as Paget’s disease and hypercalcemia of malignancy. Bisphosphonates are synthetic compounds used extensively to treat systemic bone loss due to estrogen depletion.
Bisphosphonates such as ALD, although controversial, are worthy of investigation for the enhancement of implant osseointegration—the structural and functional connection between living bone and an implant—in patients with low bone mass who already are receiving bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis, according to a news release. These patients may receive additional benefits and be acceptable candidates for dental implants without needing to change their medication regimen and, possibly, as a result of their medication regimen.
In this study, implants placed in rats with estrogen deficiency did not result in osseointegration. Researchers found that the probability of losing the implants at two weeks was 50 percent, and at four weeks, only 13 percent of the implant surface remained in contact with bone.
When ALD was administered, the bone-implant contact improved to 85 percent of the initial value. None of the implants were lost when ALD was administered, and the bone density quality improved to 50 percent. Overall, osseointegration of implants was enhanced by ALD therapy.
This study was supported by grants from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the Osseointegration Foundation and the Medical College of Georgia Dental Foundation.
