Bone Responses to Simvastatin-Loaded Porous Implant Surfaces in an Ovariectomized Model

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate bone responses to simvastatin-loaded porous implant surfaces in an ovariectomized model. Materials and Methods: Roughened implants were divided into a control group (n = 32), test group 1 (n = 32), and test group 2 (n = 32). Test implants were immersed into 10-7 mol/L (test group I) or 10-6 mol/L (test group 2) simvastatin solutions for drug adsorption onto implant surfaces. Forty-eight ovariectomized rats randomly received an implant in each tibia. One, 2, 4, and 12 weeks later, the tibiae were retrieved and prepared for histomorphometric evaluation. Bone-to-implant contact and bone area around the implant were determined, and histologic observations were made. Results: New bone formation on test implant surfaces was seen after 1 week, while it was seen on the control implant surface after 2 weeks. There was more bone tissue and bone-to-implant contact along the test implant surfaces than along the control implant surface. The test group 1 and test group 2 implants showed significantly greater bone area and bone-to-implant contact compared to the control implant at all observed time points (P<.05). No differences were found between the two types of test group implants after 1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks (P>.05). Conclusion: Simvastatin-loaded porous implant surfaces have the potential to improve implant osseointegration in an ovariectomized rat model. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2012;27:369-374