Histologic evaluation of vitreous carbon endosteal implants in dogs.

A 6-month histologic study of vitreous carbon dental implants in dogs, without occlusion, has demonstrated that vitreous carbon is well tolerated by oral tissues in both permucosal and subgingival applications. Gingival tissues heal routinely and show the same degrees of irritation adjacent to the implant as tissues adjacent to natural teeth. Alveolar bone forms within grooves in the implant surface, providing mechanical retention, and both hard and soft tissues grow into the texture in the implant surface. The resulting interlocking between tissues and the implant appears to function effectively as a bacterial seal. The newly formed bone within the implant grooves appears to become more dense with time, resulting in a layer of dense bone surrounding the implant. No foreign body responses and no inflammation were observed in tissues adjacent to this implant material, and no degradation of the vitreous carbon implants was detected. A subsequent study of the implant under occlusion in dogs is also being conducted.