Autologous bone harvested during implant bed preparation : a randomized clinical trial comparing high-speed drilling with irrigation versus low-speed drilling without irrigation

Abstract

Objective: To compare collected bone weight and the frequency of autologous bone harvesting from the flutes of surgical drills used for implant bed preparation using two different drilling techniques. A comparative evaluation of radiographic bone density and bone quality was also made. Materials and Methods: A randomized clinical trial was made of 66 dental implants in patients with a single posterior edentulous site. The compared drilling techniques were high-speed drilling with irrigation (control group) and low-speed drilling without irrigation (test group). The bone collected in both groups was dried and weighed with a precise electronic balance. The frequency of harvesting was calculated. The median radiographic bone density of each implant site was measured using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) pixel values. Patient sex, age, implant position and dimensions, as well as the last drill diameter were analyzed as independent variables. The level of significance was 5%. Results: The harvesting of bone chips from drill flutes proved possible in 51.5% of the procedures in the control group and in 100% in the test group (p < 0.001). There were also statistically significant differences in bone weight between the control group (6.7 ± 10.6 mg) and the test group (41.9 ± 30.3 mg) (p < 0.001). The CBCT pixel values were directly correlated with the collected bone weight in both groups. The median radiographic bone density, arch and last drill diameter were significantly associated with harvesting bone frequency and collected bone weight (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the frequency and weight of autologous bone harvested from drills are greater with low-speed drilling without irrigation than with high-speed drilling with irrigation. Radiographic bone density, arch and last drill diameter also significantly influenced the harvesting outcomes.