PEEK Dental Implants: A Review of The Literature: Iterature Eview
PEEK Dental Implants: A Review of The Literature: Iterature Eview
PEEK Dental Implants: A Review of The Literature: Iterature Eview
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
Key Words: PEEK, dental implants, finite element method, animal experiments, osseointegration
D
ental implants increase the quality of
sion.14 This can provoke a dark shimmer of the peri-
life for many patients with tooth
implant soft tissue in cases of thin biotype mucosa
loss.1 The material of choice for oral
and/or mucosa recession around a titanium implant.
endosseous implants is pure titani-
This can be problematic especially in the presence of
um, introduced at the end of the
a high smile line.15,16 Additionally, an increasing
1960s by Branemark.2 Although implants based on
number of patients are demanding dental recon-
titanium and titanium alloys, such as Ti-6Al-7Nb and structions of completely metal-free materials.15 As an
Ti- 6Al-4V,3,4 are well evidence-based, it was demon- alternative to titanium, ceramic implants are pro-
strated that their use can be correlated with a range posed, which were first introduced about 40 years
of problems. One problem is a potential hypersen- ago and were made from aluminum oxide.17–22 Due
sitivity to titanium.5–9 Another problem could occur to frequent fracture incidence, this material was
due to the gradient difference in the elastic moduli of substituted by titanium.23 Nowadays, ceramic dental
a titanium implant and its surrounding bone. This implants are made of zirconia, which seems to be a
may cause stress in the implant-bone interface better suitable alternative to titanium because of its
during load transfer,10,11 probably resulting in peri- tooth-like color, mechanical properties, biocompat-
ibility, and low plaque affinity.24 But a systematic
1
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Clinical Naviga- review of the literature by Andreiotelli et al15 from
tion and Robotics, Charité-Campus Virchow Clinic, Berlin, 2009 concludes that the scientific clinical data are not
Germany.
2
Department for Dental Materials and Biomaterial Research, yet sufficient to recommend ceramic implants for
School of Dentistry, Charité-Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, routine clinical use. This corresponds to a grade C
Germany.
* Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] recommendation of the definitions of types of
DOI: 10.1563/AAID-JOI-D-11-00002 evidence originating from the US Agency for Health
Care Policy and Research.15 Furthermore, the stress excluded, because they did not report on dental
distribution of a zirconia implant to the surrounding implants of PEEK.36,37
bone could be associated with even higher stress Of the included articles, 2 reported on animal
peaks compared to titanium, due to the higher investigations34,35 and 1 on an in vitro finite
elastic modulus of zirconia of 210 GPa.25 element study.11
Another biocompatible material with an elastic The aim of the 3-dimensional finite element
modulus of 3.6 GPa, which is closer to that of bone, study was to compare the stress distribution to the
is polyetheretherketone (PEEK).26 Its modulus can peri-implant bone in 4 distinct testing models
be modified by reinforcing it with carbon fibers, for consisting of either a titanium or a carbon fiber–
example, to achieve a modulus of 18 GPa, similar to reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK) implant, containing 30%
TABLE 2
Overview of 2 in vivo animal investigations*
Author Cook and Rust-Dawicki35
Year of publication 1995
Number of animals 4 (mongrel dogs)
Number of implants 40
Number of implants/animal 10
Implantation site Femur
Healing period 4 weeks (n ¼ 2); 8 weeks (n ¼ 2)
Implant design Cylindrical
biocompatibility of the implant surface. Using the concentrations, the CFR-PEEK implant could not be
BIC ratio as a parameter for the grade of osseointe- recommended.11
gration, it can be stated that both CFR-PEEK This deformation rate could probably be dimin-
implants (coated and uncoated) presented a ished by an inner stiffening of the implant, for
desirable osseointegration in comparison to the example, by an abutment connection bolt which
BIC values of the titanium implants (40.91 6 extends to the apical region of the implant, whereas
10.11%) of the second animal experiment34 (Table the complete biomechanical behavior of a PEEK
2). The aim of that study was to evaluate implant has to be tested experimentally to achieve
osseointegration of 1-piece zirconia vs titanium accurate data.
implants depending on their insertion depths after Because CFR-PEEK is black due to the carbon
a healing period of 4 months due to a split-mouth fibers, its use could be unfavorable, especially in
design (submerged vs nonsubmerged healing). esthetic zones.
Therefore, the test implants made from zirconia In an animal investigation from 1995, the BIC
and coated zirconia (covered by a calcium-liberating and shear strength of titanium-coated and uncoat-
titanium oxide [TiO2] sol-gel layer) were compared ed CFR-PEEK implants were evaluated.35 The shear
to a control implant made from titanium. Addition- strength of the uncoated implants was significantly
ally, an experimental implant of PEEK was inserted. higher after 4 and insignificantly lower after 8 weeks
All implants had the same design, only differing in of healing, although the BIC rate of the coated
their biomaterials. In this study, the PEEK implants implants was always significantly higher (Table 2).
reached BIC rates of 26 6 8.9%. The surface roughness as an important factor
In neither of the 2 animal investigations were was not assessed, so this phenomenon is difficult to
signs of inflammation or foreign body reactions interpret.
observed. Considering potential hypersensitivities to tita-
nium, in such cases a titanium coating might
provoke hypersensitive inflammatory reactions.
DISCUSSION
The aim of the second animal experiment was to
Referring to a 3-dimensional finite element analysis evaluate osseointegration of 1-piece implants made
of a CFR-PEEK and a titanium implant (Table 1), the from zirconia, coated zirconia (coated by a calcium-
authors concluded that due to its higher stress liberating TiO2 sol-gel layer), titanium, and PEEK
TABLE 2
Extended
34
Koch et al
2010
6 (mongrel dogs)
48
8
Mandible (split-mouth design)
4 months
Screwed 1-piece implant (all groups identical)
40.91 6 10.11 59.11 6 7.45 55.83 6 13.92 26 6 8.9 40.91 6 10.11 59.11 6 7.45 55.83 6 13.92 26 6 8.9
depending on their insertion depths after a healing the crestal bone level to the uppermost BIC. The
period of 4 months due to a split-mouth design other section was named implant-related BL,
(submerged vs nonsubmerged healing).34 Regretta- measured from the uppermost thread to the
bly, the resulting BIC values of both the submerged uppermost level of BIC. The level of the uppermost
and the nonsubmerged implant groups of this BIC was localized between the uppermost thread
study were summarized to a mean value (Table 2). and the crestal bone level. All results, however, were
The different types of healing could have had an expressed as negative values (Table 3). The authors
influence on the BIC values, due to different argue that the bone levels in general presented
exposures of the implants to masticatory loads higher values in the group of the submerged
and oral flora. implants due to higher insertion depths, which
For histomorphometric analysis, the bone level were defined neither before nor while the implants
(BL) between the uppermost thread and the crestal were inserted. To get the mean insertion depths of
bone level was subdivided into 2 sections. One the uppermost threads in relation to the crestal
section described the bone-related BL, ranging from bone level, we took the values of the mean bone-
TABLE 3
Mean values of bone-related and implant-related bone level (BL) (Koch et al34) and the mean insertion depths
Mean Bone-Related BL, mm Mean Implant-Related BL, mm Mean Insertion Depth, mm*
Nonsubmerged
Zirconia 0.53 1.62 2.15
Coated zirconia 0.59 1.97 2.56
Titanium 0.37 1.65 2.02
PEEK 1.3 0.44 1.74
Submerged
Zirconia 0.76 1.86 2.62
Coated zirconia 0 2.25 2.25
Titanium 0.59 2.03 2.62
PEEK 0.58 1.97 2.55
*Distance from the crestal BL to the uppermost implant thread, calculated by the authors of the current review by adding
bone-related BL and implant-related BL.
TABLE 4
Differences in the mean insertion depths between submerged and nonsubmerged implants from Table 3
Nonsubmerged Implants, Submerged Implants,
Mean Insertion Depths Mean Insertion Depths Differences in the
From Table 3, mm From Table 3, mm Mean Insertion Depths, mm*
Zirconia 2.15 2.62 þ0.47
Coated zirconia 2.56 2.25 0.31
Titanium 2.02 2.62 þ0.6
PEEK 1.74 2.55 þ0.81
related BL and the mean implant-related BL from represent another advantage of PEEK over titanium,
the original article and added them together (Table giving back the physiologic tensile load to the
3). Then, we evaluated the differences in these bone.
calculated insertion depths for the nonsubmerged
and the submerged implants to see how much
deeper the submerged implants were inserted CONCLUSION
compared to the nonsubmerged (Table 4). The Literature reporting on dental implants made from
value of the difference was positive when the result PEEK demonstrate that PEEK is basically osseointe-
revealed a greater insertion depth for the sub- grated as biocompatible material in vivo. Further
merged implants and negative if the insertion investigations are necessary to find ways to improve
depth of the submerged implants was less deep. the biomechanical behavior to achieve a more
In this way, we calculated the following values: for homogenous stress distribution to the surrounding
the submerged implants of zirconia þ0.47 mm, of bone, which has not yet been experimentally
coated zirconia 0.31 mm, of titanium þ0.6 mm, proven. Long-term investigations of loaded PEEK
and of PEEK þ0.81 mm (Table 4). These findings implants in vitro and in vivo are necessary.
contradict the statement of the authors that the Experimental modulations of the surface are need-
submerged implants in general were inserted ed as well to achieve the highest possible grade of
deeper than the nonsubmerged implants. osseointegration. The design of a 2-piece implant
Another finding in the article states that the made from PEEK, which allows the submerged
PEEK nonsubmerged implants showed significantly healing method, has to be developed. PEEK used for
lower bone-related BL than the nonsubmerged a dental implant should have a light translucency
coated zirconia and titanium implants (P ¼ .046, similar to a natural tooth to achieve favorable
.028). There is no evidence mentioned, if the mean esthetic results.
insertion depths of the coated zirconia (2.56 mm),
the titanium (2.02 mm), and the PEEK implants (1.74
mm) could play an influencing role for the bone- ABBREVIATIONS
related BL, as the PEEK implants of the non-
BIC: bone-implant contact
submerged group presented the lowest mean
insertion depth (Table 3). BL: bone level
Neither of the 2 animal investigations observed CFR-PEEK: carbon fiber–reinforced PEEK
inflammation signs or foreign body reactions, which PEEK: polyetheretherketone
emphasizes the evidenced biocompatibility of PEEK.
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