Histology of tissues surrounding single crystal sapphire endosseous dental implants: an experimental study in the beagle dog.

9 single crystal sapphire dental implants were installed bilaterally into pre-extracted areas in the lower jaw of two beagle dogs and histologically analysed after 180 days in situ. 8 implants were stable and radiographs disclosed complete bone healing. Light-, scanning- and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the stable implants were surrounded by a mineralizing bone boundary and a mucosa nearly free from inflammatory cell infiltrations. The 9th implant was mobile and surrounded by a non-mineralized connective tissue capsule containing bundles of collagen. The ultrastructure of the mucosa surrounding the implants closely resembled the mucosa surrounding the tooth. Histometric analysis of the alveolar bone surrounding the stable implants revealed that the value of the bone contact surface ranged from 37.1% to 86.9% (mean value 61.8%) at the light microscopic level.