Surgical and prosthetic outcomes of 967 implants under immediate or delayed loading in full-arch rehabilitation: A retrospective study with up to 5 years of follow-up

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate implant and prosthesis survival rates in full-arch rehabilitation supported by implants with platform-switched Morse taper connection submitted to immediate or delayed loading, after up to 5 years of follow-up. Material and Methods: Data was retrospectively collected from clinical records of patients who were treated by means of implant-supported full-arch rehabilitation. Survival rates of implants and prostheses were evaluated according to immediate or delayed loading. Results: The sample comprised 967 implants. Of those, 627 were submitted to immediate loading (IL) while 340 to delayed loading (DL). After a follow-up period of up to 5 years, the implant survival rate for IL was of 99.7% (622/627 implants) and 97.2% (333/340 implants) for DL. The overall implant survival rate was 98.8% (955/967 implants). Prosthesis survival rate was 100% (N = 178) for both groups. Significantly more implants in the DL group presented bone loss (p > 0.01), either greater or lower than 2 mm, during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Within their limits, the present results suggest that full-arch rehabilitation with platform-switched Morse taper connection implants can lead to surgical and prosthetic predictable outcomes. Moreover, immediate loading protocol seems to be a good option for the rehabilitation of fully edentulous patients, as it involves a shorter treatment time, which may lead to greater patient satisfaction.