Background: The use of dental implants has become the standard of care for the replacement of missing teeth. Due to the wound healing events that follow extraction of teeth it is well-documented that there can be significant remodeling/resorption of the alveolar bone. One approach that can be used to mitigate these processes is to place an implant directly into a fresh extraction socket. Thus, this retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the peri-implant bone remodeling taking place after immediate implant placement and will further evaluate the continuation of the remodeling after the insertion of the restorations.
Methods: Examination was completed in a retrospective fashion (n=155) by examining records for teeth that required extraction and were candidates for immediate implant placement. Evaluation of periapical radiographs (PA) was performed to measure changes in the position of the crestal bone relative to the implant platform over time (implant insertion, 3-month follow-up visit, impression visit, delivery of the final prosthesis and the follow-up of the final prosthesis if applicable. Results: We found that marginal bone loss (MBL) occurred from the time of implant placement through the final follow-up visit. The extent of MBL varied between subjects. The Restorative angle was significant higher for molar implant in mesial and the distal sites. Correlation of MBL with restorative emergence angle yield that REA was not correlated with the amount of bone loss. Conclusion: The extent of MBL following immediate implant placement differed between subjects. Factors associated with the variability included the implant, position, and location provided information in regards to the REA but that finding was not significant for MBL.