Objective: The purpose of this study was to radiologically, histologically, and histometrically evaluate bone in the hollow portion of three implants retrieved for psychological reasons.
Study design: Three hollow implants retrieved from two patients were studied. We investigated the radiologic and histologic changes of these implants with the use of radiographs, light microscopy, image processing, and fluorescent microscopy.
Results: There were no radiologic and histologic degeneration around the implants. Histometric analysis of the hollow indicated that the average percentage of bone contact rate was 33.5% in case 1, 74.5% in case 2, and 18.4% in case 3; the average percentage of bone filling was 25.1%, 33.9%, and 6.6%, respectively. There was a great variation among the three cases in bone to implant contact and bone filling.
Conclusion: The hollow portion in case 1 that penetrated into the maxillary sinus was encapsulated with fibrous tissue. The amount of bone tissue in the hollow portion seems to depend on the initial bone quality of the recipient sites.