Hydrophilic modification of sandblasted and acid-etched implants improves stability during early healing: a human double-blind randomized controlled trial.

A randomized controlled trial was performed to evaluate and compare the changes in implant stability quotient (ISQ) of implants of the same brand, design, length, and diameter but with two different surface treatments, placed in the posterior mandible: sandblasted and acid-etched (SAE) and chemically modified SAE (hydrophilic). Twenty implants of the same design, length, and diameter (cylindrical and compressive, 3.75x11mm) but with different surface treatments (control group: 10 SAE; test group: 10 modified SAE) were randomly assigned to placement in the posterior mandibular region in 20 different patients. ISQ values were assessed in a blinded manner for six consecutive weeks. The maximum and minimum ISQ values observed during follow-up were 76.0 and 48.5, respectively, in the test group, and 76.0 and 49.0, respectively, in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference (P=0.19) in ISQ variation for the test group implants (modified SAE). Comparison between the test and control groups revealed a significant difference in the measurements: the ISQ in the test group was higher than that in the control group during the follow-up period (parametric Mann-Whitney test). This study demonstrated that implants with a modified SAE surface installed in the posterior mandible showed higher and faster ISQ stability during the healing period when compared to implants with a SAE surface.