Three-Year Analysis of Tapered Screw-Vent Implants Placed into Extraction Sockets Grafted With Mineralized Bone Allograft

Esthetic outcome of implant-based reconstructions in augmented bone: comparison of autologous and allogeneic bone block grafting with the pink esthetic score (PES)

INTRODUCTION

To determine the esthetic outcome of implant-based reconstructions after autologous and allogeneic bone grafting.

METHODS

From 2003 to 2009, 67 patients underwent alveolar ridge augmentation and were enrolled in the study, 41 meet the inclusion criteria and 31 agreed to take part in the study. Patients were 18-69 years old (mean: 49.3 ± 13.8 years), and predominantly female. Patients received bone block grafts either autologous (n = 48) (AUBB) or allografts (ABB) (n = 19). Implants were inserted 4-7 months (autografts) or 5-6 months (allografts) after bone grafting. The Pink Esthetic Score (PES) as well as radiographic and subjective assessments were employed for the outcome analysis. The PES was assessed twice within one month based on digital photographic images that were randomly rearranged between evaluations by three independent, experienced investigators.

RESULTS

Across all observations and investigators, the average PES was 7.5 ± 2.6 without differences between implants inserted in auto- and allografted bone, respectively. Patients assessed the allograft procedures as less painful and would have repeated it more often. The intra-rater reliability was excellent (correlation coefficients 0.7-0.9). The inter-observer agreement was lower (correlation coefficients 0.6-0.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Bone grafting with ABB allografts yields equivalent results to autologous grafting, and patients appreciate the omission of bone harvesting. The PES is a reliable method but should be performed by the same individual.

A retrospective study on a series of 556 zimmer dental implants

Background:

One-stage surgery with immediate loading is possible, with good clinical results. Many types of dental implants are available in the market. Zimmer Dental Implants (ZDIs) have been used since the nineties, but few reports have analyzed the clinical outcome of these fixtures. We planned a retrospective study on a series 566 ZDIs, to evaluate their clinical outcome.

Materials and Methods:

In the period between January 2007 and June 2011, 125 patients were treatetd with ZDIs. The last check-up was performed in June 2012, with a mean follow-up period of 17 ± 9 months (minimum – maximum, 8-4 months). ZDIs were inserted as follows: 295 (53.1%) in the maxilla and 261 (46.9%) in the mandible. There were 480 (86.3%) Screw-vents, 51 (9.2%) Swiss Plusses, and 25 (4.5%) Splines. Sixteen, 355, 34, 90, 55, and six fixtures had a diameter of 3.25, 3.7, 3.75, 4.1, 4.7, and 4.8 mm, respectively. Twenty-eight, 145, 5, 217, 8, 141, and 12 implants hade a length of 8, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, and 14 mm, respectively. The implants were inserted to replace 136 (24.5%) incisors, 80 (14.4%) cuspids, 198 (35.6%) premolars, and 142 (25.5%) molars.

Results:

No implants were lost (i.e., SRV = 100%). Among the studied variables, only those for the jaws were statistically significant, with a better outcome for implants inserted in the maxilla (P = 0.017).

Conclusions:

ZDIs are reliable devices to be used in implantology, althougth a higher marginal bone loss has to be expected when these implants are inserted in mandible.

Three-year analysis of tapered screw vent implants placed into maxillary sinuses grafted with mineralized bone allograft

With an increase in the number of patients presenting for dental implant treatment, it is becoming more common for clinicians to encounter inadequate bone volume. Several surgical techniques have been advocated for placing dental implants in the posterior maxilla, including the lateral window sinus elevation technique. This article reports the results of implants placed into maxillary sinuses grafted with particulate mineralized cancellous bone allograft alone or in combination with resorbable hydroxyapatite over a 3-year period. A total of 56 sinuses were grafted, and 136 dental implants were placed into the grafted sites after a 4- to 8-month healing period. All reentries revealed a bony hard structure acceptable for osteotomy preparation. Of these implants, 124 have been restored with fixed prosthesis and 12 with removable overdentures for a total of 136 loaded implants. A total of 3 implants required removal (failure) resulting in a 97.7% implant success rate (2.3% failure rate). A conclusion was made that mineralized human allograft, placed into lateral window sinus elevations, is a clinically predicable method acceptable for implant placement and restoration.

Immediate Loading of Single-Tooth Restorations: One-Year Prospective Results

Immediate loading of splinted implant restorations is a growing trend, but limited clinical documentation hampers evidence-based treatment planning for single-tooth applications. This study prospectively evaluated the clinical efficacy of placing implant-supported, single-tooth restorations into immediate, full-occlusal loading. Sixty consecutive patients (intent-to-treat group) with 1 missing tooth between 2 intact teeth were treated with a total of 69 implants. At placement, final impressions were made and implants were provisionalized with nonoccluding prostheses. Definitive prostheses were delivered 2 weeks later. A claim of noninferiority was made with a 95% confidence interval (Mann-Whitney U test) if the success rates between the experimental group and a 97% historical control was >7%. Standardized radiographs taken at placement and bimonthly intervals were analyzed for crestal bone changes at a type I (alpha) error level of .05; significance levels were not adjusted for multiplicity (Fisher exact tests and Student t tests). Sixteen patients (18 implants) were withdrawn for protocol deviations. The resulting treated-per-protocol group consisted of 44 subjects with 51 implants. Cumulative implant success rates were 98.55% (n = 68/69) for the intent-to-treat group and 98.04% (n = 50/51) for the treated-per-protocol group. There were no significant adverse events or statistically significant differences between the experimental and historical control groups. At 12 months mean crestal bone loss was 1.05 mm, and ranged from 0.38 to 1.5 mm (77%) and 1.6 to 2.69 mm (23%). Immediate full-occlusal loading of single-tooth restorations was safely performed in selected subjects when good primary implant stability and an appropriate occlusal load were achieved.