Table 1 EDS results of the three cases of early implant failures
Implant no. | EDS-examined position | EDS result (C: weight percentage) | Surface morphology (SEM results) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C ≥ 10% | 10% > C ≥ 1% | C < 1% | |||
01 | Bone tissue in the upper region (0101-B) | C: 38.43% O: 32.90% N: 16.08% | Ca: 7.87% Tl: 2.42% Si: 1.90% | S: 0.41% | - Bone tissue showed irregular structure with no presence of cells or bone lacunae. |
- Low level of Ca and no P signal. - High levels of C, N, and O → large portion of organic content. - Noticeable levels of Tl and Si. - Trace S signal. | |||||
Implant surface at the first thread of the fixture (0102-U) | Ti: 56.31% O: 21.03% C: 16.90% | Ca: 4.16% Si: 1.60% | - SEM image showed an irregular morphology of a sandblasted and acid-etched surface, with signs of oxidation. | ||
- Titanium surface with a high level of O → oxidized surface. - Minor level of Ca → low osseointegration on the implant surface. - Si signal. | |||||
Graft material on the upper region (0103-G) | O: 34.26% C: 23.08% Ca: 23.03% N: 17.72% | Na: 0.97% S: 0.94% | - SEM image showed an irregular bone structure with suggested grafting material particles. | ||
- There was no detection of the P signal. - High levels of N and O suggested that this is calcified organic material. - Trace Na and S signals. | |||||
02 | Implant surface in the upper region (0204-U) | C: 35.79% Au: 26.73% O: 15.52% | Ti: 8.98% Si: 6.48% Na: 3.27% Cl: 3.24% | - Heterogeneous surface with organic particles. | |
- Noticeable high level of Au. - Low level of Ti but high levels of C and O → large portion of organic matter. - Si, Na, and Cl were detected to a minor degree. | |||||
Implant surface in the middle region (0205-M) | Ti: 51.85% O: 15.14% Zr: 11.10% | C: 8.71% Ca: 8.12% Au: 3.03% Na: 1.60% | Si: 0.46% | - Heterogeneous surface with micro-fissures. - Presence of a thin bone layer and organic matter. | |
- Titanium surface with a high level of O → oxidized surface. - Noticeably high level of Zr. - Detection of Au and Na at a low level. - Trace amount of Si. | |||||
Implant surface in the apical region (0206-A) | Ti: 71.72% | O: 9.88% Au: 7.99% C: 7.75% Si: 1.27% Na: 1.02% | Ca: 0.36% | - While the EDS result showed the rich Ti content, the SEM image of the surface revealed an irregular morphology with fibers and micro-debris. | |
- Rich of Ti. - Au was detected to a noticeable degree. - Minor signs of Si and Na. - Trace amount of Ca. | |||||
03 | Implant surface in the upper region (0307-U) | Au: 40.11% C: 31.69% Si: 11.86% O: 10.14% | Ti: 4.26% Na: 1.94% | - The fixture’s surface was covered with fibers and heterogeneous organic matter. | |
- Significantly high level of Au. - High levels of C and O → large portion of organic matter. - Minor Na signal. | |||||