Osstell isq, the objective way to measure implant stability.

The Osstell® ISQ system makes it easier for dentists to decide when is the optimal time to load implants. It’s the ideal complement to their own tactile assessment.
The decision will always be a complex one. Several key clinical parameters and risk factors are involved – most of the m related to the stability of the implant.
Accurate measurements of implant stability therefore provide valuable diagnostic insight that helps ensure successful treatments. There is compelling evidence that high levels of primary stability indicate that immediate loading can be successful. While low primary stability suggests that loading should be postponed – allowing more healing time and a chance to monitor progress.
At placement, stability can be difficult to quantify objectively by merely relying on tactile perception. Torque measurements are difficult to repeat once the implant has started to integrate and can therefore not provide a baseline for subsequent comparisons. The invasive torque method may even damage the healing if used for monitoring osseointegration.
Tactile or torque techniques share one major disadvantage when used at the second stage: they can basically only detect whether the implant is stable or not stable. They are unable to actually measure the stability and determine the degree of osseointegration.
The Osstell ISQ meter addresses this dilemma in a unique way. Not only does it measure and quantify the primary implant stability with unparalleled accuracy. In a two-step treatment – still the predominant scenario – it also provides secondary measures. This makes it possible to monitor osseointegration over time and determine the optimal time for loading the implant.

Early warnings instead of failure

A precise and reliable diagnostics tool like Osstell ISQ reduces the risk of failure. A failed treatment results in considerable suffering for the patient and considerable costs for both the patient and the dentist.
Each implant patient is unique and must be judged by his/her own characteristics. Factors affecting the outcome of loading include the patient’s age, the density and volume of the bone – as well as the degree of osseointegration.
Dentists sometimes encounter patients whose initial stability score is low. The reason could be that they have had to undergo a bone graft. In such higher-risk situations, most surgeons would avoid an early-loading protocol.
Similarly, a significant decrease in stability indicates a potential problem and should be considered an early warning. The surgeon may prefer to unload the implant – or perhaps place additional implants – and then wait until stability increases.
Thanks to the accuracy of ISQ measurements, surgeons can make a more well-informed choice of protocol for each patient. And by comparing initial and secondary stability readings, they can detect and act on any unexpected development during healing and osseointegration.
This makes the treatment of high-risk patients easier and more predictable – allowing more of these patients to be treated and more of their treatments to be successful.

Implant stability quotient

ISQ (Implant Stability Quotient) is a measurement scale for use with the RFA (Resonance Frequency Analysis) method of determining implant stability. It’s a mapping of resonance frequencies (kHz), presented as a clinically useful scale of 1-100 ISQ.

Here is how ISQ works and what it achieves.
The Osstell ISQ meter stimulates a SmartPeg™ mounted on the implant, by emitting magnetic pulses. These cause the SmartPeg to resonate with certain frequencies depending of the stability of the implant. The resonance is picked up by the Osstell ISQ meter. The SmartPegs have been calibrated in such a way that they all show comparable values for the same degree of stability, even when measuring implants from different systems.

The ISQ scale makes it possible to establish a standard clinical range within which stability values should fall to make a successful treatment outcome likely. Several studies have been conducted based on RFA measurements and the ISQ scale. They provide valid indications that the acceptable stability range lies above 55 ISQ.
ISQ values have also been used to generate the graph shown here, which has proven useful for determining if an implant is sufficiently stable at any stage of the treatment process.

Figure. The lateral stability of an implant depends on the rigidity of the bond between the implant surface and the surronunding bone. This rigidity can easily be measured.

Find out more about the universal ISQ scale by visiting www.isq-dentalimplants.com