RESONANCE FREQUENCY ANALYSIS (RFA) IN IMPLANT DENTISTRY

Dr. Urvashi Keswani*, Dr. Pranav Bhide and Dr. Huzaifa Ezzy

ABSTRACT

Implant stability and osseointegration have been the two major issues affecting long term implant survival since its advent. The osseointegration of implants is the growth of bone around the implant surface forming an interlocking with the surface roughness of the introduced fixture while the stability of an implant is a mechanical phenomenon that depends largely on the quality and amount of bone surrounding an implant, the type of implant and the placement technique used by the clinician. Various crude methods were used in the past in order to gauge the stability of an implant like percussion with dull instruments, initial torque values, radiographic analysis and the likes. These techniques however failed to provide the clinician with a standardized method to assess implant stability and thus led to poor judgment on part of the clinician regarding the loading time for that particular case. The advent of the Resonance frequency analysis, which is a non-invasive, cost effective and simple procedure, has greatly helped clinicians achieve a more reliable mode of judgment. As the use of immediate loading of implants has become increasingly popular with clinicians in order to reduce morbidity, patient discomfort and to ensure faster rehabilitation, the use of accessory methods to gauge implant stability have become a must. The Resonance frequency analysis has proven to be a novel method to achieve just that. This review is aimed at throwing light on the RFA technique used to assess implant stability, how RFA values can be used to improve outcomes in implant therapy and to explain how implant stability quotient data can be used to objectively determine dental implant loading and restorative protocols.

Keywords: Implant stability, resonance frequency analysis (RFA), Implant stability quotient, Osseointegration.