  Background Resonance frequency analyses and quantitative ultrasound methods
have been suggested to assess dental implant primary stability. PurposeThe
purpose of this study was to compare the results obtained using these two
techniques applied to the same dental implants inserted in various bone
phantoms. Materials and MethodsDifferent values of trabecular bone density and
cortical thickness were considered to assess the effect of bone quality on the
respective indicators (UI and ISQ). The effect of the implant insertion depth
and of the final drill diameter was also investigated. ResultsISQ values
increase and UI values decrease as a function of trabecular density, cortical
thickness and the screwing of the implant. When the implant diameter varies,
the UI values are significantly different for all final drill diameters (except
for two), while the ISQ values are similar for all final drill diameters lower
than 3.2 mm and higher than 3.3 mm. The error on the estimation of parameters
with the QUS device is between 4 and 8 times lower compared to that made with
the RFA technique.ConclusionsThe results show that ultrasound technique
provides a better estimation of different parameters related to the implant
stability compared to the RFA technique.
