The Influence of Tactile Perception on Classification of Bone Tissue at Dental Implant Insertion.

BACKGROUND

Various ways of using the Lekholm and Zarb (L&Z) classification have added to the lack of scientific evidence of the effectiveness of this clinical method in the evaluation of implant treatment.

PURPOSE

The study aims to assess subjective jawbone classifications in patients referred for implant treatment, using L&Z classification with and without surgeon's hand perception at implant insertion. The association between bone type classifications and quantitative parameters of primary implant stability was also assessed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred thirty-five implants were inserted using conventional loading protocol. Three surgeons classified bone quality at implant sites using two methods: one based on periapical and panoramic images (modified L&Z) and one based on the same images associated with the surgeon's tactile perception during drilling (original L&Z). Peak insertion torque and implant stability quotient (ISQ) were recorded.

RESULTS

The modified and original L&Z were strongly correlated (rho = 0.79; p < .001); Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant difference in the distribution of bone type classification between pairs using the two methods (p = .538). Spearman correlation tested the association between primary stability parameters and bone type classifications (-0.34 to -0.57 [p < .001]).

CONCLUSIONS

Tactile surgical perception has a minor influence on rating of subjective bone type for dental implant treatment using the L&Z classification.