Histologic assessment of alveolar bone remodeling around immediate implants placed in single and multiple contiguous...

The aim of this study was to histologically assess alveolar bone remodeling around immediate implants placed in single and multiple contiguous extraction sites. Ten dogs were divided into three groups (with six sites per group) on the basis of premolar teeth extraction: group 1 = one tooth extracted, group 2 = two contiguous teeth extracted, and group 3 = more than two contiguous teeth extracted. Immediate implants were placed in each group. Histologic assessment of arches showed no evidence of vertical bone loss (VBL) around implants in group 1 compared with groups 2 (P < .001) and 3 (P < .001). Buccal and lingual bone thicknesses and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) were higher around implants in group 1 compared with groups 2 (P < .001) and 3 (P < .05). Buccal and lingual bone thicknesses, BIC, and VBL are compromised around implants in multiple contiguous extraction sites compared with those in a single extraction site.