Osseointegrated implants in oro-dental and facial prosthetic rehabilitation.

A basic prerequisite for establishing true and lasting tissue integration of a nonbiologic prosthesis is the minimal risk of adverse local or general tissue reactions. It consists of a detailed understanding of the response behavior of highly differentiated hard and soft tissues to the surgical preparation of a recipient site and the installation of the prosthesis, as well as long-term tissue adaptation and the functional demands on the anchorage unit. The complex arrangement of titanium implant material, surface physics, and biocompatibility with the host tissues will be reviewed in this article.