The osseointegration potential of 3M^™ESPE^™ MDIs has not been studied. The MDI is a one-piece implant that simplifies the restorative phase resulting in a reduced cost for the patient. Titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloy (Ti 6Al-4V-ELI) is used for increased strength. The success of these implants led to its use in long-term fixed and removable dental prostheses. Conventional implant treatment requires adequate bone width and interdental space. Augmentation procedures are complex and can cause postoperative pain and discomfort for the patient and additional costs.

In human models, a 3–6-month period is needed to obtain osseointegration and animal models would need a shorter time (4–6 weeks). Rabbit has been used extensively to examine osseointegration and appears to be an appropriate model for studying the bone healing systems. The healing periods used by various authors for assessing the bone implant contact in rabbits are 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks. However, the best results have been between 6 and 12 weeks of insertion period. The 6-week healing period was carefully chosen after literature search. This was in agreement with others who have reported that a 6-week period is adequate in rabbits to develop a “rigid osseous interface”.

At the bone implant interface, woven bone starts forming after the placement of implant. Lamellar bone slowly replaces this scantily organized bone. The fully developed lamellar bone which replaces the woven bone typifies a stable and lasting osseointegration.

Our results are in concurrence with Balkin et al.; they have also shown in their histology study in humans that the MDI undergoes osseointegration. They inserted one 3M^™ESPE^™ MDI of 1.8-mm diameter in each of two patients as a transitional implant for mandibular dentures. After a period of 4 and 5 months, the implants were trephined out for histological evaluation. The results showed that there was a close apposition of bone on the implant surfaces. The bone surrounding the implant demonstrated signs of matured healing and integrated for immediate function after 4 to 5 months of healing period.