Early healing events following placement of a palatal subperiosteal orthodontic anchor: a pilot study.

PURPOSE The aim of this report was to describe the initial 8-month healing events of 8 consecutive cases of placement of an onplant device for orthodontic anchorage and to report the results of a questionnaire evaluating subjective patient experience. METHODS At 2 weeks and at 4 and 8 months after placement of the device, presence or absence of exposure of the device, mobility using gentle finger palpation, and signs of possible inflammation were evaluated. At 8 months, the inflammatory status of the tissue-abutment interface was determined from presence or absence of bleeding and/or suppuration on probing. Patients' experience of pain, discomfort, and acceptance of the treatment were evaluated by the use of visual analog scales. RESULTS In 7 of the 8 patients, the device became stable and could be used for orthodontic anchorage. In 1 case, infection occurred, and the device was removed. At the 8-month time point, none of the 7 successful devices showed any plaque or any bleeding or suppuration on stimulation with a periodontal probe. Most patients reported little pain/discomfort from the various treatment procedures and indicated that they felt that opting for the onplant treatment had been the right choice. CONCLUSION The results of this pilot study suggest that placement of the onplant can lead to uneventful healing and stability of the device. Further studies with larger numbers of subjects are necessary to substantiate these findings and to determine the usefulness of this device for orthodontic anchorage.