Temperature change in pig rib bone during implant site preparation by low-speed drilling

Objectives: the purpose of this study was to evaluate the temperature change during low-speed drilling using infrared thermography. material and methods: pig ribs were used to provide cortical bone of a similar quality to human mandible. heat production by three implant drill systems (two conventional drilling systems and one low-speed drilling system) was evaluated by measuring the bone temperature using infrared thermography. each system had two different bur sizes. the drill systems used were twist drill (2.0 mm/2.5 mm),which establishes the direction of the implant,and finally a 3.0 mm-pilot drill. thermal images were recorded using the iri1001 system (infrared integrated systems ltd.). baseline temperature was 31±1°c. measurements were repeated 10 times,and a static load of 10 kg was applied while drilling. data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. statistical analysis was conducted with two-way anova. results and conclusions: mean values (n=10 drill sequences) for maximum recorded temperature (max t°c),change in temperature (δt°c) from baseline were as follows. the changes in temperature (δt°c) were 1.57°c and 2.46°c for the lowest and the highest values,respectively. drilling at 50 rpm without irrigation did not produce overheating. there was no significant difference in heat production between the 3 implant drill systems (p>0.05). no implant drill system produced heat exceeding 47°c,which is the critical temperature for bone necrosis during low-speed drilling. low-speed drilling without irrigation could be used during implant site preparation.