880-886 Nordin

Purpose: The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate the concept of early loading of rough-surfaced implants in the completely edentulous maxilla and in the edentulous posterior mandible and maxilla. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four consecutive patients were treated. Twenty patients were completely edentulous in the maxilla (group A), 19 patients were edentulous in the posterior left and/or right maxilla (group B), and 15 patients were edentulous in the posterior left and/or right mandible (group C). One patient in group B and 5 in group C were bilaterally treated. Two hundred thirty-four solid screw-type, sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA) ITI implants were placed, 58 (25%) immediately after tooth extraction. Mean placement torque and standard deviations were measured at all sites. Sixty fixed prostheses were delivered after a mean delay of 9 days (range, 4 to 22 days). Mean marginal bone reduction was measured after 1 year of loading. Results: Two implants were lost (0.9%), 1 before functional loading and 1 after 1 year. All other implants were clinically stable, with a mean marginal bone loss of 0.75 mm (± 1.3 mm). Marginal bone loss ranged from 0 to 3.5 mm. Mean placement torque on implants placed in healed bone or immediately after tooth extraction ranged from 29.1 ± 9.3 Ncm to 35.5 ± 5.8 Ncm. No statistical difference was found (P > .05) between implants placed in healed bone and those placed immediately after tooth extraction. Discussion: There is little documentation for immediate or early loading in the areas studied. However, in this study, favorable results were obtained in 54 consecutive patients in these regions. Conclusion: In this study population, early loading protocols can be applied with predictable results using rough-surfaced implants for rehabilitation of the completely edentulous maxilla, posterior maxilla, and posterior mandible. INT J ORAL MAXILLOFAC IMPLANTS 2004;19:880–886