Figure 1.

Representative photomicrographs of all experimental and control groups at 2 weeks after implant installation. All specimens showed initial bony healing phases around dental implants, in which woven bone could be found at the prepared or resorbed area of the recipient alveolar bone. An increased number of thin bony trabeculae in newly formed bone was demonstrated in the area adjacent to the implant, including the spaces between threads. There were no significant differences between groups visible at this low magnification. Some implants (4 of a total of 50 experimentally installed implants) protruded into the mandibular canal, due to a lack of height of the residual alveolar ridge (C; arrows indicate superior border of the mandibular canal). These pieces of implant in the canal area were excluded from the histometric analyses. (A) Machined-surface implant (MI), (B) apatite-coated MI (AMI), (C) fibronectin-loaded and AMI, (D) oxysterol-loaded and AMI, and (E) sand-blasted, large-grit, and acid-etched surface implant. The scale bars in all panels were 1 mm.