Clinical and radiographic evaluation of early loaded narrow-diameter implants: 3 years follow-up

To evaluate the clinical reliability of narrow implants placed in a one-stage procedure and early loaded in the upper and lower incisor region.

This is a prospective, single-arm, multicenter study in which patients with missing natural dentition in upper lateral and lower incisor positions were enrolled. Eligible implants (OsseoSpeed™ TX 3.0S, DENTSPLY Implants) were of three different lengths and of 3.0 mm in diameter. One-stage surgery was performed and healing abutment connection took place. Placement of the permanent single crown took place after a 6-10 weeks healing period. Clinical and radiographic checks were performed at implant placement, loading, and at the 6, 12, 24, and 36 months follow-up visits.

A total of 69 subjects with 97 implants have been included in this study. From surgery to 36 months follow-up, 5.6% of the implants showed bone loss of more than 1 mm, while no bone loss at all were observed for 57.3% of the implants. The mean marginal bone level change from surgery to the 6, 12, and 36 months follow-up visits was -0.27, -0.11, and -0.09 mm, respectively. The total survival rate after 3 years is 95.5%.

The data presented show stable marginal bone levels as well as healthy soft tissue around OsseoSpeed™ TX 3.0S implants, after 3 years of function. An interesting finding from this investigation was that a longer healing period before crown placement and loading contributed to statistically significant less marginal bone loss between loading and the 1-year follow-up visit (Galindo-Moreno et al. 2012). This finding, associated with a stable probing pocket depth and a stable crown-gingiva distance, using a one-stage surgical procedure helps to maintain the integrity of the peri-implant soft tissues. Narrow implants can be considered as a valid solution in the treatment of the localized narrow bony defects in the anterior area with reduced spaces between the natural teeth.