Nueafah Kitchindaopat

Background: A prerequisite for successful osseointegration is the stability of the dental implant, particularly during the initial healing phase. Excessive force may interfere with osseointegration, and patients with high body mass index (BMI) may exert greater tongue force, potentially disrupting osseointegration compared to patients with normal BMI. This study aimed to compare the effect of tongue force on the stability of posterior dental implants during the initial phase of osseointegration between high and normal BMI patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty implants placed in the posterior mandible utilizing a one-stage surgical technique were randomly included in the study. Patients were assessed for BMI and maximum tongue strength, and then divided into two groups: Group 1 (n=10) with BMI≤24.99 kg/m2, and Group 2 (n=10) with BMI>25 kg/m2. Implant stability was evaluated immediately after surgery (T0) and 90 days after surgery (T1) using a resonant frequency analysis (RFA). The study also analyzed the influence of age, gender, tongue range motion ratio, implant diameter and length, healing abutment diameter, and healing abutment height over the gingiva. Results: Both groups exhibited 100% implant survival rates at 90 days, with no complications reported. No significant demographic differences between groups. Group 1 had a lower mean maximum tongue strength value (54±11.56 kPa) compared to group 2 (58.75±8.22 kPa) (p=0.304). Although Group 1 exhibited a higher increased RFA value (T1-T0) compared to group 2 (mean=5.8±10.14 ISQ vs. 3.05±10.64 ISQ; p=0.562). Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between BMI and increased RFA value during osseointegration (rs=-0.451, p=0.044). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high BMI patients with excessive tongue force may experience inferiorly increased implant stability during initial osseointegration process, likely due to implant micromotion caused by tongue pressure on exposed healing abutment. Larger sample size studies are needed to investigate the long-term dental implant stability in this context.

Name: Miss Nueafah Kitchindaopat Position: Postgraduate student Workplace: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand E-Mail: [email protected] Academic Background: – Doctor of Dental Surgery, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand (Year 2017) – Degree of Higher Graduate Diploma in Clinical Sciences (International Program) Field of Oral Surgery and Dental Implant,Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (Year 2021-now) Past Research Work: Damrongrungruang T, Kitchindaopat N, Thanasothon P, Theeranut K, Tippayawat P, Ruangsuwan C, Suwannee B. Effects of photodynamic therapy with azulene on peripheral blood mononuclear cell viability and singlet oxygen formation. Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy. 2018;1(24):318-23.