A prospective, multicenter, 4-year study of the ACE Surgical resorbable blast media implant

This article reports on the 50-month results of the evaluation of the ACE Surgical resorbable blast media (RBM) dental implant. There were 1077 implants placed in 348 patients: 950 in the mandible and 127 in the maxilla. A total of 78.6% of the implants were used to support anterior, mandibular, bar-retained overdentures. The 3.75- to 4.00-mm-diameter implant was used in 91.1% of cases, with the remainder being 3.3 mm (2.2%) or 4.75 mm (6.7%). The implants of 10-, 13-, and 15-mm lengths were used in almost equal amounts in the mandible, maxilla, and anterior or posterior aspects of either jaw. There were 7 failures, all in the mandible and before stage 2 surgery. The overall implant success rate in this 50-month interim report is 99.3% in the mandible and 100% for the maxilla. There was no discernible crestal bone loss during the study period. No differences in bone response were seen in RBM implants with roughened surfaces on the entire implant, up to the collar, or up to the first 2 threads below the collar.