Suspension mechanism of subperiosteal implants in baboons.

It has been noted that overloading of an implant can lead to the premature loss of implants (Jones et al., 1979; Travis and Jones, 1986). An understanding of the mechanism by which subperiosteal implants support masticatory loads could lead to appropriate design changes for best utilization of this mechanism and thus increase the predictability of subperiosteal implants (James, 1983). This study attempts to analyze the suspension mechanism in implants recovered from a baboon after 10 years' use.