An Assessment of Implant Stability and Bite Force Following Early and Delayed Dental Implant Placement

Introduction The timing of dental implant placement following tooth extraction is an important clinical consideration because it may influence osseointegration and functional rehabilitation. Although both early and delayed implant placement protocols are widely used, evidence regarding their effects on implant stability and masticatory function is limited. This study aimed to compare early and delayed dental implant placements in terms of implant stability and bite force. Materials and methods This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Prosthodontics, K. M. Shah Dental College and Hospital, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Sixty patients were categorized into two groups of 30 participants in each group. The early implant group received implants four to eight weeks after tooth extraction, whereas the delayed implant group underwent implant placement after a minimum healing period of six months. Implant stability was assessed using resonance frequency analysis (RFA) and expressed as implant stability quotient (ISQ) values. Functional rehabilitation was evaluated by measuring the bite force using a digital occlusal force analyzer. Assessments were performed at baseline and six months after prosthetic loading. Statistical analyses were conducted using paired and independent t-tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in implant stability and bite force over the six-month follow-up period (p = 0.001). In the early implant group, the mean ISQ values increased from 62.4 ± 4.8 to 74.6 ± 3.9, whereas the delayed implant group showed an increase from 58.7 ± 5.2 to 71.2 ± 4.6. The bite force increased from 128.4 ± 22.6 N to 218.3 ± 31.4 N in the early implant group and from 134.7 ± 25.1 N to 204.6 ± 28.9 N in the delayed implant group. The early implant group demonstrated significantly higher implant stability at baseline and six months (p < 0.05). Although the bite force values at individual time points were comparable between the groups, the increase in bite force over time was significantly greater in the early implant group (p = 0.006). Conclusions Both early and delayed implant placement protocols achieved successful osseointegration and functional rehabilitation in the present study. However, early implant placement demonstrated superior implant stability and greater improvement in bite force, suggesting that it may provide favorable clinical outcomes when appropriate case selection and treatment planning are performed.