April 2019 – Dental Implants

A Retrospective Study on Ultra-wide Diameter Dental Implants for Immediate Molar Replacement

Hattingh A, De Bruyn H, et al.
Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2019 Apr 1

Although immediate implant placement for single rooted teeth is well documented, the prognosis of ultra-wide implants in molar sockets lacks data.  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of ultra-wide implants, immediately placed in molar sockets. Patients treated with immediate ultra-wide diameter implants that have been in function for at least 40 months, were invited for a clinical evaluation. A radiograph was taken to measure marginal bone loss. Probing depths as well as plaque and bleeding scores were recorded at the implant and contralateral tooth. Crown and soft tissue dimensions were measured, and patients filled out an OHIP-14 questionnaire.

Eighty-five out of 230 patients (37%) were evaluated. Twenty-eight implants received a bone graft to fill the residual space. Average bone loss was 0.19 mm after a mean follow-up of 67 months, with no significant changes over time. There was no significant difference in bone loss between the maxilla and mandible, male or female, smoking and nonsmoking, grafted and non-grafted sites, or the different bio-types. The distal papillae were significantly higher if a contact point was present. Plaque was more frequent at the contralateral tooth, but more bleeding on probing was observed around the implants. Overall, 63.5% of the patients experienced no problems at all.  The authors conclude from the results of this study that ultra-wide diameter implants for immediate molar replacement demonstrated little bone loss and stable soft tissue conditions over an observed 4 to 7-year period.

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