Osseodensification in Implant Dentistry: A Critical Review of the Literature.

Abstract

Introduction: Osseodensification is a technique that aims at bone preservation and compaction either through nonsubtractive drilling or implants with a special thread design. This can increase quantity and density of periimplant bone. This review represents a summary and a critical appraisal of the studies regarding osseodensification in the literature.

Materials and methods: Three databases were searched: PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library, and Latin American and Caribbean center on health sciences information (LILACS). Studies were screened by title/abstract according to predetermined eligibility criteria. Full texts of 7 eligible articles were read among which 2 were excluded and 5 articles were included and underwent qualitative synthesis.

Discussion: Studies advocating osseodensification are sparse and mainly animal studies of low evidence level. High risk of bias and low correlation between used animal models and human bone were detected in most of the studies.

Conclusion: Although osseodensification seems to be a very promising technique, the findings are inconclusive and should be cautiously interpreted. Well-designed animal and human studies of longer follow-up periods are required before implementing such technique in regular daily practice.