Electrical Mallet Provides Essential Advantages in Maxillary Bone Condensing. A Prospective Clinical Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the use of hand mallet versus electrical mallet (magnetic mallet, Meta-Ergonomica, Turbigo, Milan, Italy) in osteotome-assisted surgery for condensing bone procedure in edentulous molar and premolar maxillary regions. Materials and Methods: Patients edentulous in maxillary premolar and molar regions with type 3 or 4 bone were enrolled in this prospective clinical study. The patients were randomly divided in two groups: in the test group, the implant site was prepared with osteotomes pushed by magnetic mallet, while in the control group, the implant site was performed with osteotomes pressed by hand mallet. Intraoral digital radiographic measurements were reported at 6, 12, and 24 months. Results: Thirty-six patients were enrolled in the study. Eighteen patients (21 women and 15 men) were included in the test group and 18 patients in the control group. The mean patient age was 56.1 years (range 41-71 years). Fifty dental implants were placed. In 10 cases, five in control and five in test group, sinus elevation was performed. After 24 months follow-up, a survival rate of 96.0% was reported. In the control group, two patients claimed benign paroxysmal positional vertigo following the use of osteotomes with hand hammer. Marginal bone levels remained stable over time for both groups, and not statistically significant differences were found. After 12 months, the bone height incremented in both groups and, at 24 months, was stable. Statistical analysis reported not statistically significant differences between test and control group. Conclusions: These results demonstrated a stable marginal bone levels over time and a significant increase in bone height between 6 and 12 months in osteotome technique (not sinus elevation). The use of magnetic mallet provided some essential clinical advantages during surgical procedure in comparison with hand mallet.