Purpose: The aim of the present histological and biomechanical analysis was to compare, in vivo, the strength and quality of osseointegration between a laser-treated implant surface and a standard machined surface.
Material and methods: Customized titanium implants, having 2 different surfaces, were used. Implants were longitudinally split in the 2 surfaces: one side was laser treated and the opposite one had a machined surface. Eight implants were inserted in the iliac crest of 2 sheep: 4 with a split laser and machined surfaces, 2 with a completely laser-treated surface, and 2 with fully machined surfaces. The animals were killed 8 weeks after the placement of implants. The histomorphometric and biomechanical parameters calculated for each surface were the bone-implant contact (%BIC) and the reverse torque value (RTV) RESULTS:: The RTV of the laser-treated implants were about 3-fold higher than that of the machined implants. The histomorphometric results showed a significant difference of %BIC around 30% between the laser surfaces compared to the machined ones.
Conclusions: The present study showed that laser surface treatment induces better osteointegration than machined surface. The laser-treated surface seems to be able to increase the osseointegration amount in respect to the machined implants.