Content area
Full Text
The insertion of dental implants containing titanium can be associated with various complications (eg, hypersensitivity to titanium). The aim of this article is to evaluate whether there are existing studies reporting on PEEK (polyetheretherketone) as an alternative material for dental implants. A systematic literature search of PubMed until December 2010 yielded 3 articles reporting on dental implants made from PEEK. One article analyzed stress distribution in carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK) dental implants by the 3-dimensional finite element method, demonstrating higher stress peaks due to a reduced stiffness compared to titanium. Two articles reported on investigations in mongrel dogs. The first article compared CFR-PEEK to titanium-coated CFR-PEEK implants, which were inserted into the femurs and evaluated after 4 and 8 weeks. The titanium-coated implants showed significantly higher bone-implant contact (BIC) rates. In a second study, implants of pure PEEK were inserted into the mandibles beside implants made from titanium and zirconia and evaluated after 4 months, where PEEK presented the lowest BIC. The existing articles reporting on PEEK dental implants indicate that PEEK could represent a viable alternative material for dental implants. However, further experimental studies on the chemical modulation of PEEK seem to be necessary, mainly to increase the BIC ratio and to minimize the stress distribution to the peri-implant bone.
Key Words: PEEK, dental implants, finite element method, animal experiments, osseointegration
ABBREVIATIONS
BIC: bone-implant contact
BL: bone level
CFR-PEEK: carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK
PEEK: polyetheretherketone
INTRODUCTION
Dental implants increase the quality of life for many patients with tooth loss.1 The material of choice for oral endosseous implants is pure titanium, introduced at the end of the 1960s by Branemark.2 Although implants based on titanium and titanium alloys, such as Ti-6Al-7Nb and Ti- 6Al-4V,3,4 are well evidence-based, it was demonstrated that their use can be correlated with a range of problems. One problem is a potential hypersensitivity to titanium.5-9 Another problem could occur due to the gradient difference in the elastic moduli of a titanium implant and its surrounding bone. This may cause stress in the implant-bone interface during load transfer,10,11 probably resulting in periimplant bone loss.12,13 Also, titanium can cause esthetic problems due to its lack of light transmission. 14 This can provoke a dark shimmer of the periimplant softtissue in cases...