Eight to eleven-year follow-up of immediately loaded implants placed in edentulous maxillae with compromised bone volume and poor bone quality: A prospective cohort study

Background There is a lack of long-term evaluations of immediately loaded implants in patients with compromised maxillary bone. Purpose To evaluate long-term survival and success of immediately loaded implants in subjects with poor maxillary bone quality and volume. Material and methods Follow-up was performed on subjects who received six implants loaded within 24 hours with screw-retained fixed prostheses. Twenty-five subjects with limited bone (Lekholm and Zarb, quantity 3 and 4, and quality C and D) were included in the study. Nineteen participated in the radiographic examination and of these 17 participated in the clinical examination at the last visit. Evaluations of marginal bone loss were performed at 1, 3, 5, and 8-11 years. The last clinical examination included removal of the prosthesis followed by registration of: plaque, pus, pocket depth, bleeding upon probing, mobility, and percussion testing. Results The mean follow-up was 9 years and 2 months (101-131 months) after surgery and showed a cumulative implant survival rate of 81.9% and success rate of 74.7%. Mean marginal bone loss was 1.29 mm (SD 2.47 mm range 0-11 mm) with a mean pocket depth of 3.1 mm (SD 2.4 mm, range 1.5-13.5 mm). 42.5% of the implants showed plaque retention and 72.2% showed bleeding on probing. Conclusion This nonaugmenting immediate loaded implant protocol for maxillary edentulous patients is a satisfactory solution for selected patients.