Potential for acceleration of bone formation after implant surgery by using a dietary supplement: an animal study

Summary Dental implant treatment is an effective modality to restore lost aesthetic and masticatory functions. However, healing after implant surgery takes at least 3–6 months. This prolonged healing period poses several difficulties for individuals with a large edentulous area and decreases their quality of life. Consequently, shortening the healing period and accelerating final prosthesis placement after surgery is very clinically important. Peri‐implant bone formation may be enhanced by systemic approaches, such as the use of osteoporosis supplements, to promote bone metabolism. To confirm whether intake of a supplement developed for osteoporosis, synthetic bone mineral (SBM), was effective in accelerating peri‐implant bone formation as part of the healing process after implantation. Twenty‐four 5‐week‐old female Wistar rats were randomly assigned to receive a standardised diet without (control group, n = 12) or with SBM (n = 12). The rats had implant surgery at 8 weeks of age under general anaesthesia. The main outcome measures were bone mineral density (BMD) and pull‐out strength in the implant and femur, which were compared between the groups at 2 and 4 weeks after implantation using the Mann–Whitney U test. BMD was significantly greater in the SBM group at 2 and 4 weeks after implantation compared to the control group. Pull‐out strength was significantly greater in the SBM groups at 2 and 4 weeks after implantation compared to the control group. This study demonstrated that SBM could be effective in accelerating peri‐implant bone formation during the healing period after implantation.