Initial bone-implant interfaces of submergible and supramergible endosseous single-crystal sapphire implants.

Three types of bone-single-crystal sapphire implant interfaces were histologically determined in submergible and supramergible implant: direct bone apposition (type I), thin connective tissue with poor collagen fibers (type II), and dense fibrous connective tissue (type III). Type I interface was predominant and type III interface was sparsely seen in submergible implants. In contrast to these findings, type III interfaces frequently appeared in supramergible implants, primarily at the apical region. These differences were considered to occur by the biomechanical variable of postoperative healing.