Foreword

Forty years is a long time in a man's life but a short time in history. The replacement of lost teeth in the bone with implants of foreign material has been tried for hundreds of years, but the final breakthrough of dental implants occurred with the first presentation of the subperiostal implants in the decade of 1940. There are mainly two reasons for this success. The first reason is the use of a suitable strong and inert material. Such a tissue tolerant material is Vitallium, developed for surgical implants, which made it possible to fabricate the first subperiostal dental implants. Another reason for success was the idea of distribution of force on the bone.

Bone is generally accepted as very sensitive, not only to chemical, but particularly to mechanical actions. The distribution of force to the bone, and the possible movements between the bone and the implant, are essential. The exact limits of these actions with implants are not known with the exception of what has been found from experiments disclosing that the natural tooth exhibits larger movements than an implant. It is essential to consider this last fact in connection with a bridge resting partially on natural roots, partially on implants. The implants without considering this fact will very easily be overloaded, resulting in loosening.

The above mentioned facts, in my opinion, have been considered to the upmost by Dr. Linkow. Step by step he has, from year to year, changed, very ingeniously, the design of his implants to satisfy these requirements. In titanium he has certainly found a most tissue tolerant material which is sufficiently strong. He has chosen a method of adapting his blade vents much closer to the bone than is possible with an implant resting on the surface of the bone. What also impressed me is the way Linkow, in suitable cases, has located the posterior implants to reduce the mastication force and the movements of the implant.

I should like to express my sincere congratulations, for the excellent results obtained, to the benefit of dentistry, and give all honor to the creator of the technique, and acknowledge further significant developments, such as the pterygoid and ramus implant systems.

Gustav Dahl, L.D.S., M.S.D.

x