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.