Immediate functional loading of immediate implants in edentulous arches: two-year results

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical success of immediate functional loading of immediate implants in edentulous arches. Five maxillary and five mandibular jaws were treated, and a total of 91 implants were placed; 66 of these implants were placed immediately after tooth extraction, and 25 were placed in healed sites. No bone substitutes or barrier membranes were used. Within 24 hours, fixed temporary restorations were inserted in all cases. During the entire 6-month healing time, all fixed temporary restorations were in normal function, after which the final fixed implant-supported restorations were inserted. After 24 months, the overall success rate of the implants was 92.31% (87.50% for the maxillary implants and 97.26% for the mandibular implants). The bone level measured mesially and distally was in 93.40% of all cases between the implant shoulder and the first thread. The present study shows that the immediate functional loading of immediate implants without the use of any bone substitutes or barrier membranes for fixed complete-arch reconstructions can be successful over a 2-year period.