The effect of electrical stimulation on the interfacial strength of the porous polymethylmethacrylate implant/oral tissue union and the amount of tissue growth was investigated in the fourth premolars of dogs. The study indicates the interfacial strength peaks at about three weeks and decreases thereafter for both control and the stimulated specimens. The stimulated side showed consistently higher strength than its paired control. There was a positive relationship between implant period and amount of tissue in the pores although the latter was not correlated with the interfacial strength. Microradiographs showed a different pattern of new bone formation on the stimulated side when compared to the control. On both sides, bone formation occurred upward from the bottom of the tooth socket while on the stimulated side, new bone also developed from the sides of the tooth socket which was minimal in the controls. It is proposed that the direction of oral tissue formation is responsible for the different results obtained in this study compared with a similar study on long bones.
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