Background: Due to its antioxidant properties and its ability to detoxify free radicals, melatonin may interfere in the function of osteoclasts and thereby inhibit bone resorption. This inhibition of bone resorption may be enhanced by a reaction of indolamine in osteoclastogenesis and this may contribute to certain benefits in implantology.
Objective: This systematic literature review on the use of melatonin in implant dentistry aims to provide guidelines for clinicians.
Materials and methods: PubMed, Science Direct, ISI Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane base databases were used to identify articles published between 1999 and 2013 on melatonin use in implant dentistry. Ten articles were selected consisting of 9 animal research studies and 1 review article, involving 60 Beagle dogs, 57 rats, and 30 rabbits and a total of 352 implants.
Results: Melatonin, which is released into the saliva, has important implications in the oral cavity. To achieve dental implant stability, osseointegration involves a cascade of protein and cell apposition, vascular invasion, bone formation, and maturation. This process may be accelerated by local delivery of growth-promoting factors, as occurs with the topical application of melatonin over the implant surface.
Conclusions: The experimental evidence suggests that topical applications of melatonin may be useful in oral surgery and implant dentistry, increasing bone-to-implant contact values and new bone formation, and so improving the success and long-term survival of implant treatments.