The role of calcified tissues in the different stages of implant osteointegration

Abstract

The replacement of mineralized tissues lost because of trauma or lesion by using exogenous materials has beenconsidered as an accepted treatment for the last 25 years. The replacement materials should, however, integratewith the osseous structure. The osseointegration process implies different factors, as are the shape and compositionof the implant, the method and the timing of the implantation and all the various biological and biomechanical phe−nomena that take place in the bone−implant surface. The present study is aimed to describe the different stages ofthe osteointegration, and the presence and the role that the different osseous calcified tissues play all the long ofthis complex process. Our results show that the role of the chondroid tissue in the stabilization of the implant is es−sential for an effective osseointegration. That proves that the osseointegration process involves a membranous ossi−fication mechanism.