ABSTRACT
Medical devices that penetrate the skin or mucosa are frequently used in patient care. Some of the devices, such as intravascular or peritoneal dialysis catheters and glucose sensors, on one hand, penetrate the skin without any attachment to the surrounding tissues. Bone-anchored percutaneous devices, on the other hand, are stabilized through the osseointegrated part of an implant. External Œxation pins and bone-anchored hearing aids are both commonly used implants with skin-penetrating components. Oral implants possess a similar situation, but the part of the implant that penetrates periodontal tissues is exposed to an aqueous oral environment.
