[The development of a resorbable implant system for orthodontic anchorage. The BIOS implant system. Bioresorbable implant anchor for orthodontic systems].

The use of endosseous implants as temporary orthodontic anchoring elements has proven itself to be efficacious in many clinical applications. If, however, an implant is inserted into the jaw solely to correct a malocclusion without being used subsequently for prosthetic purposes, secondary surgery is required to remove the anchoring implant. The development of an orthodontic implant anchor system consisting of an implant made of biodegradable polylactide with a metal abutment may offer a solution to this problem. On the basis of its good mechanical properties, the BIOS implant system (bioresorbable implant anchor for orthodontics system) presented here is designed to assume orthodontic anchoring functions as long as necessary and then be resorbed by hydrolysis without foreign body reactions. Shear strength and maximum vertical strength were measured in biomechanical in vitro tests in which BIOS fixtures can be loaded with horizontal shear forces of 50 N with a mean deflection of 0.26 mm and mean vertical pull-off forces of 155 N. In a clinical case report the application of the BIOS implant system during orthodontic tooth movement is here illustrated. In vitro and in vivo results obtained to date suggest that the BIOS implant system can be used as an orthodontic anchoring system up to the time of degradation.