Comparison of heat generation between low and high speed drilling for dental implants: An experimental study
Overheating during implant site preparation leads to failure of the implant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether low-speed drilling is clinically acceptable during the drilling procedure in terms of heat generation.
Materials and methods
Artificial bone blocks that were similar to human D1 bone were used in this study. The baseline temperature was set to be 37.0°C. In group 1, drill was performed with the speed of 50 rpm without irrigation. In group 2, drill was performed with the speed of 1500 rpm with irrigation. In group 3, drill was performed with the speed of 1500 rpm without irrigation. The temperature changes were measured during Ø2 mm drilling by thermocouples. In each group, the drilling was done 60 times.
Result
The mean temperatures during drilling were 40.9±1.7°C in group 1, 39.7±1.5°C in group 2, and 44.5±3.6°C in group 3. The maximum temperatures were 43.9°C in group 1, 43.3°C in group 2, and 54.0°C in group 3. There was a statistically significant difference on the mean temperature between the three groups.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that low-speed drilling without irrigation may not significantly increase the bone temperature during drilling for dental implants.
Reference
- Eriksson RA, Albrektsson T. Temperature threshold levels for heat-induced bone tissue injury: A vital-microscopic study in the rabbit. J Prosthet Dent 1983;50:101-107
- Sun-Jong KIM, Jaeyoung YOO, Young-soo KIM, Sang-Wan SHIN. Temperature change in pig rib bone during implant site preparation by low-speed drilling. J Appl Oral Sci 2010;18(5):522-527