Marginal Bone Level Changes in Full-Arch Rehabilitation: Digital Versus Analog Protocols-A 5-Year Retrospective Study

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Prosthodontics
• Digital Dentistry

Background:

• Comparing clinical outcomes of analog versus digital intraoral scanning for full-arch immediate loading rehabilitations.
• Evaluating peri-implant marginal bone level (MBL) changes and complication rates over 5 years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of analog impressions versus digital intraoral scanning in full-arch immediate loading restorations.
• To compare marginal bone loss and prosthetic complication rates between the two impression techniques.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 62 patients with full-arch immediate loading rehabilitations (2019-2020).
• Two groups: analog impression and digital intraoral scanning.
• Assessment of marginal bone level (MBL) via radiographs at baseline, loading, 2, and 5 years; procedural time and complications were recorded.

Main Results:

• Implant survival rate was 99.6% over 5 years with no significant difference in prosthetic complications.
• Slightly higher baseline MBL in the analog group (0.21mm) compared to the digital group (0.17mm).
• Digital impressions significantly reduced procedural time but were associated with slightly greater bone loss, though within acceptable limits.

Conclusions:

• Both analog and digital impression techniques achieve satisfactory clinical outcomes in full-arch immediate loading.
• Digital impressions offer workflow efficiency and patient comfort advantages.
• Analog impressions are a reliable standard, while digital methods require further investigation for long-term bone stability.