Comparison of osseodensification and conventional implants with postoperative pain levels

Aim: Nowadays, new techniques have been developed to reduce tissue stress and certain complications, and to improve and facilitate the performance of the surgical moment for the dentist and their team. One of these techniques is the osseodensification technique. The aim of our thesis is to examine whether the osseodensification drilling technique has an effect on postoperative pain with minimal deformation compared to the standard implant placement procedure. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between April 2023 and April 2024 with 72 participants who applied to the Department of Periodontology at Ordu University Faculty of Dentistry. Participants were divided into two groups based on the surgical procedure: one group was treated with the standard implant placement procedure, and the other group with the osseodensification procedure. The form consisted of demographic information, oral hygiene habits, the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, VAS scores, and data related to the surgery. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26, employing chi-square, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The relationship between anxiety scores and VAS measurements was analyzed using Pearson correlation, and the significance level was set at p<.05. Result: The distribution of the groups is largely similar in terms of demographic data, oral care habits, and dental anxiety levels. There are no significant differences between the preoperative VAS scores and the postoperative VAS scores on Day 1, Day 3, and Day 10 within the groups (p>.05). However, a significant difference was found in the postoperative Day 10 VAS scores based on the number of implants in both groups (p<.05). Conclusion: Pain is a multifactorial concept influenced by personal experiences and anxieties; therefore, many factors need to be standardized when evaluating post-operative pain. The literature indicates that the osseodensification technique helps to achieve primary stability of the implant by increasing bone density. This technique is generally used in areas with low bone density, contributing to the achievement of optimal insertion torque. In our study, since optimal insertion torque was achieved in the majority of implants in both groups, no significant difference in pain was observed. Keywords: Implant Surgery, Osseodensification, VAS