Evidence-Based Clinical Outcomes of Immediate and Early Loading of Short Endosseous Dental Implants: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

PURPOSE: Short dental implants serve as a valuable alternative for patients with limited bone height. Immediate or early provisionalization facilitates a more physiologic environment for the gingival tissues to be modeled. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to systematically review and evaluate the implant survival and marginal bone loss with immediate and early loading protocols of short dental implants (≤ 6 mm). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search (electronic and manual) was conducted to identify studies with a focused PICO question: "In patients with short dental implants, does loading time affect treatment outcomes?" Studies using an immediate or early loading protocol for restoration of short implants with a mean follow-up of at least 1 year, and refraining from the use of advanced surgical procedures (sinus floor elevation, bone augmentation), were included. After evaluating patient selection and outcome reporting biases, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess implant survival and bone loss for studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Bone loss differences between immediate and early loading protocols were evaluated by Student t test, and Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the trends between crown-to-implant (C/I) ratio and bone loss. RESULTS: A total of 396 studies with patients receiving short implants (≤ 6 mm) with immediate or early prosthetic loading protocols were identified. For the 7 included studies, the pooled implant survival rate for 322 implants with a follow-up ranging from 1 to 10 years (5 years) was 91.63% (95% CI: 88% to 94%), with a mean bone loss effect estimate of 0.52 ± 0.1 mm (z = 3.07, P