INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF TEMPERATURE MODIFICATIONS INDUCED DURING IMPLANT SITE PREPARATION WITH CONICAL DRILLS

Several research studies have explored the impact of drilling on bone healing. Various factors have been identified as affecting the increase in temperature during surgical preparation for implant placement. These factors include drill design, material, depth of drilling, sharpness of the cutting instrument, drilling velocity, pressure exerted on the drill, preference for graduated or one-step drilling, intermittent versus continuous drilling, and the presence or absence of irrigation. This research aimed to measure the temperature fluctuations in cortical bone and at the tip of the drills while preparing implant sites using a conical implant drill. The drill system was evaluated in a laboratory using cortical bone from bovine femurs. This system used a conical drill with triple twist and triple twist drills. Site preparation commenced, and the temperatures of the cortical bone and the tip of the drill were recorded using infrared thermography. The average temperature recorded in the cortical bone during implant preparation was 30.2±0.5°C while the average temperature recorded at the tip of the drill during implant site preparation was 32.1±0.5°C. No statistically significant differences were observed in the temperatures recorded in the cortical bone and at the tip of the drill. The experimental setup employed in this study successfully measured the temperature changes in both the cortical bone and the tip of the drills. The temperature changes at the drill's tip seemed to be related to the tool's geometric shape. The results of this study show that drill geometry significantly impacts how much heat is produced when implant sites are being prepared. The drill's design or form could explain the increased temperature at the drill's tip.