Aim: The influence of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on peri-implant bone healing in rats with alloxan-induced type-1 diabetes was studied.
Materials and methods: Forty-eight male rats were randomly divided into six groups: (1) healthy rats (HR) that received no HBOT; (2) HR that underwent 10 sessions of HBOT before implant installation; (3) HR that underwent 10 sessions of HBOT after implant installation; (4) rats with induced diabetes (DR) without HBOT; (5) DR that underwent 10 sessions of HBOT before implant installation; (6) DR that underwent 10 sessions of HBOT after implant installation. A screw-shaped titanium implant was inserted into the femur. The animals were killed 28 days after implantation. The percentage of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) within the implant threads was evaluated.
Results: Lower BIC was observed in DR (35.35 ± 18.04) compared with the HR (69.07 ± 09.01) (p = 0.001). However, with HBOT, either before or after implantation, BIC was increased in DR. HBOT before implantation was p = 0.03; HBOT after implantation was p = 0.08. This increase reversed the negative effect of diabetes; therefore, the differences between DR and HR were not significant with HBOT (p ≥ 0.21).
Conclusion: HBOT, either before or after implantation, increased the BIC in DR to the level of HR.
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.