OBJECTIVE: Experimentally analyze the influence of the pilot hole tapping on the mechanical properties and the bone-implant interface of anterior cervical screw. METHODS: Eight shorn Santa Inês sheep were used in the study. In cervical segments C2-C7 of the column 2.5mm pilot holes were made on both sides of the vertebra. On the right side of the vertebra tapping was done before the insertion of the cortical screw of 3.5mm, and on the left side the implant was placed without tapping the pilot hole. Mechanical assays were performed to assess the strength of pullout as well as a histomorphometric study of bone-implant interface during the acute phase and eight weeks after implant placement. The insertion torque was measured during implant placement. RESULTS: The insertion torque and pullout strength were higher for implants placed without tapping the pilot hole. The bone-implant interface showed greater area of bone contact and greater bone area within the implant thread on the screws implanted without prior tapping. No differences were observed in the bone outside the thread pitch of the implant. CONCLUSIONS: Tapping the pilot hole reduces insertion torque and pullout strength of the implant in both acute and chronic phases, and reduces the area of bone-implant contact and the bone area within the thread pitch.
Fracture fixation; Spine; Bone screws; Histology; Tapping
