Osseoperception in Dental Implants

Since the discovery of osseointegration and the introduction of dental implants in the field of dentistry, a whole new era began of prosthetic rehabilitation for missing teeth. However, very little is known about the neural mechanisms that entail the process of osseointegration of dental implants. Osseoperception is the term given to the patient-reported with feeling of heightened perception of the environment with osseointegrated prostheses. In other words, the dental implant placed in alveolar bone allows the patient to perceive pressure, load, position and balance. It has been shown that the sensory-motor and tactile discriminative capabilities are improved with the implant supported prosthesis in comparison to the tissue born denture prosthesis, yet it has been ascertained that these capabilities are less as compared to natural dentition. However, it is also likely that an appropriately designed implant-supported restoration, being fixed to bone, more closely resembles the dental status before tooth loss, and this may more appropriately restore optimal motor and sensory function of the masticatory system. Hence, the purpose of this review is to provide concise information about the presence of osseoperception in relation to dental implants and to give a general view about neurophysiological capability of osseointegrated implants in the field of dentistry. Keyword: Osseoperception, Osseoperception in Dental Implants, Osseoperception in Natural Dentition, Oral Tactile Sensibility