Aspects on osseointegrated implants inserted in growing jaws. A biometric and radiographic study in the young pig.

The aim was to study if osseointegrated implants behave like teeth in the growing jaw. Six young pigs were used, one of them randomly selected as a control. The test pigs received four fixtures each in regions with various dento-alveolar development. The biometric and radiographic findings, after an experimental period of 165 days, showed that the osseointegrated implants do not become secondarily displaced in sagittal and transversal dimensions and, thus, do not behave like normal teeth. Consequently, the osseointegration technique is not to be recommended in the lateral regions in young children.