The Effects of Statins on Bone Formation Around Implants Placed in Animal Bones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BackgroundImplants are preferred for replacement of missing teeth by the clinicians as well as the patients. Lesser alveolar bone density doesn't preclude any individual for choosing this option but warrants for extra caution. Preclinical studies have explored the osteoinductive potential of statins, but results should be analyzed vigorously before implementing them in humans. There is no meta-analysis to document effect of statins on bone formation around implants in osteoporotic animals.Methods and materialPubMed, Embase and Cochrane were searched for studies investigating the effect of statins on bone implant contact (BIC %), bone mineral density (BMD %) and bone volume (BV %) around implants at 2, 4 and 12 weeks. Meta-analysis was performed on subgroups with osteoporotic animals which were administered statins through different routes.ResultsQuantitative data from 12 studies showed favorable effect of statins on bone around implants. Positive difference was observed at 4 weeks in BIC (parenteral [SMD = 4.33 (2.89, 5.77); I-2 = 3%)], BMD (local [SMD = 1.33 (0.51, 2.15); I-2 = 0%] and BV (local [SMD = 1.58 (0.76, 2.40); I-2 = 0%]. BIC [SMD = 1.40 (0.89, 1.90); I-2 = 0%] and BV [SMD = 3.91 (2.33, 5.50); I-2 = 43%] were higher in experimental group after 12 weeks of oral administration.ConclusionsStatins can be investigated as potential bone graft materials to increase the predictability of osseointegration especially in osteoporotic individuals. Future research should focus to reproduce homogeneous data and conclusive recommendations which can be applied in clinical trials.