title: Preliminary report of immediately loaded Altiva Natural Tooth Replacement dental implants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osseointegration may be described as a direct contact between living bone and an alloplastic implant. It is thought that a period of undisturbed healing is required to ensure osseointegration. The length of the healing period is dependent on a number of factors, such as implant material, surface configuration, site preparation technique, bone quality, healing capacity of the osteotomy, and implant design. Elimination of the healing period offers distinct advantages in terms of cost of therapy and convenience to patients. Recently, a new one-piece implant design was proposed that provides improved stability of the implant to allow immediate support of an interim prosthesis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article presents the initial clinical experiences when the Altiva Natural Tooth Replacement one-piece implant was used in a human clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective multicenter study of the placement and immediate loading of the one-piece implant. A total of 142 implants were placed in the jaws of 93 patients. Implants were placed consecutively and were followed at specified intervals in three private clinical practices. Clinical performance was recorded relative to implant survival and prosthesis support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The implant survival rate was 93.7%, with similar responses in the maxilla (95.0%) and the mandible (92.7%). When implant failure occurred, it was observed as mobility without infection within 3 to 5 weeks of implant insertion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of this trial, there is promising evidence that this implant design can succeed at rates similar to other designs that require conventional healing times.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: A U
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Buchs
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods*; D015921:Dental Implants; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003794:Dental Restoration, Temporary; D003831:Denture, Partial, Immediate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants