A retrospective cohort study of 113 patients rehabilitated with immediately loaded maxillary cross-arch fixed dental prostheses in combination with immediate implant placement.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the outcome of immediately loaded cross-arch fixed dental prostheses 6 months after loading. A second aim was to compare survival rates of implants placed in healed versus fresh extraction sites.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 113 consecutive patients about to have their maxillae rendered fully edentulous (mean extractions per patient: 6.7 teeth) received four to eight implants each (total number = 675) which were immediately placed in healed sites (323 implants, 47.9%) or fresh sockets (352 implants, 52.1%). Immediate loading of provisional prostheses was performed and all patients were followed up for 6 months. The success criteria included prosthesis success, assessment of individual implant stability and complications.

RESULTS: No patients dropped out and all 113 patients received definitive fixed prostheses after 6 months of loading. The overall implant survival rate after 6 months was 99.1%. Six implants were lost in 6 patients (5.3%). Five of them were inserted in fresh extraction sockets (1.4%) and one in a healed site (0.3%). No significant difference (P = 0.1621) was found for implants placed in healed sites versus fresh extraction sites. Ten patients had fractures of the provisional prostheses as complications.

CONCLUSIONS: Immediate implant placement and loading resulted in high implant as well as prosthetic survival rates. Placement in healed or fresh extraction bone sites may not influence implant survival.