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Immediate versus delayed loading of strategic mini dental implants for the stabilization of partial removable dental
Torsten Mundt1, Ahmad Al Jaghsi2, Bernd Schwahn3
1Department of Prosthodontics, Greifswald University Hospital, Gerodontology and Dental Materials, Greifswald, Germany. mundt@uni-greifswald.de.
Background:
Acceptable short-term survival rates (>90 %) of mini-implants (diameter < 3.0 mm) are only documented for mandibular overdentures. Sound data for mini-implants as strategic abutments for a better retention of partial removable dental prosthesis (PRDP) are not available.
Methods/Design:
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that immediately loaded mini-implants show more bone loss and less success than strategic mini-implants with delayed loading. In this four-center (one university hospital, three dental practices in Germany), parallel-group, controlled clinical trial, which is cluster randomized on patient level, a total of 80 partially edentulous patients with unfavourable number and distribution of remaining abutment teeth in at least one jaw will receive supplementary min-implants to stabilize their PRDP. The mini-implant are either immediately loaded after implant placement (test group) or delayed after four months (control group). Follow-up of the patients will be performed for 36 months. The primary outcome is the radiographic bone level changes at implants. The secondary outcome is the implant success as a composite variable. Tertiary outcomes include clinical, subjective (quality of life, satisfaction, chewing ability) and dental or technical complications.
Discussion:
Strategic implants under an existing PRDP are only documented for standard-diameter implants. Mini-implants could be a minimal invasive and low cost solution for this treatment modality.
Trial Registration:
The trial is registered at Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien (German register of clinical trials) under DRKS-ID: DRKS00007589 ( www.germanctr.de ) on January 13(th), 2015.
