Interaction of Force‐Fitting and Surface Roughness of Implants

BACKGROUND: Increased surface roughness may increase installation torque and thus appear to increase the initial stability of an implant. However, it is not immediately clear if the increased torque is attributable to an increase in the effective diameter of the implant or to increased resistance of the bone because of the greater roughness. PURPOSE: Force-fitting stresses arise when an implant is placed into a predrilled hole of smaller-diameter in bone. The purpose of this report is to discuss the interaction of force-fitting stresses and surface roughness effects and to develop some general guidelines as to clinical procedures based on this theory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Solutions for the force-fitting stresses are derived from well-known equations of elasticity. RESULTS: Substantial force-fitting stresses on the order of several tens of MPa can be generated when a titanium cylinder is placed into a hole in bone, the diameter of which is only 100 microns smaller. CONCLUSION: When a hole slightly smaller than the implant diameter is prepared for implant placement, force-fitting stress increases installation torque and stability can be induced. Thus, large surface roughness of implants should not be viewed as an exclusive mechanism for providing a desirable level of initial fixity. Smaller roughness with the same mean diameter is equally effective.