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The present review article discusses the one- and two-stage surgical protocol for dental implant placement as well as the critical amount of micromotion at the bone-implant interface to obtain proper osseointegration. The relevant literature supporting the hypothesis that splinting of individual implants as soon as possible following installation via a rigid fixed device will most likely decrease the micromotion at the bone-implant interface thus facilitating proper bone healing (osseointegration) is reported. As a consequence of this approach, the treatment period can be significantly reduced. Finally, the importance of an objective evaluation of the bone quality and initial implant stability is highlighted. The information thus obtained via tools already available will facilitate the decision as to whether to load implants immediately, early, or late, and the term individual functional loading is coined.

Twenty-four Astra titanium dental implants were inserted bilaterally, three on each side, into the mandibles of four dogs to study mucosal and bone-implant junctions. After a healing period of 6 months, the dogs were sacrificed and bone sections with implants were removed and processed for histologic evaluation. All implants were stable, and radiographs disclosed complete bone healing. The surrounding mucosa closely resembled that surrounding natural teeth. Histometric analysis of the alveolar bone revealed that, on average, 61.3% of the implant surface interface was integrated in the bone at the light-microscopic level. Keywords: dog, histomorphometry, implantology, light microscopy, mandible, osseointegration, screw implants, transmission electron microscopy