Assessment of implant mobility at second-stage surgery with the Periotest: DICRG Interim Report No. 3. Dental Implant Clinical Research Group.

Many of the presently used methods of evaluating osseointegration at implant uncovering are highly subjective. The Periotest is claimed to offer a more objective means to assess osseointegration by means of microcomputer-controlled percussion. Investigators involved in a long-term clinical study of dental implants being conducted by the Dental Implant Clinical Research Group used the Periotest to evaluate the mobility associated with all study implants at second-stage surgery and correlate the Periotest values with various bone densities. The Periotest values for 1,838 root form implants ranged from -8 to +25. Implants that appeared to be osseointegrated at uncovering recorded a mean Periotest value of -3.37 +/- 3.25, while nonosseointegrated implants had a mean Periotest value of +13.87 +/- 14.27. Mean Periotest values were -3.82 +/- 3.04 for quality 1 bone, -3.70 +/- 3.06 for quality 2 bone, -3.31 +/- 3.18 for quality 3 bone, and -1.29 +/- 3.57 for quality 4 bone. The Periotest has the potential of being a valuable instrument for assessing the status of osseointegration at second-stage surgery.