Immediate nonocclusal versus early loading of dental implants in partially edentulous patients: 1-year results from a multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the efficacy of immediate nonocclusal loading (test group) versus early loading (control group) in partially edentulous patients.


METHODS
Fifty-two patients in 5 Italian private practices were randomized to 1 of the treatments: 25 to the immediately loaded group and 27 to the early loaded group. To be immediately loaded, single implants had to be inserted with a torque of > 30 Ncm, and splinted implants had to be inserted with a torque of > 20 Ncm. Implants in the immediately loaded group were provided with full acrylic resin nonoccluding temporary restorations within 48 hours after placement. After 2 months, full occluding provisional restorations were provided. Implants in the early loading group were not submerged and were loaded after 2 months. At 8 months, provisional restorations were replaced with definitive metal-ceramic prostheses. Outcome measures were prosthesis and implant failures as well as biologic and prosthetic complications recorded by nonblinded assessors. The Fisher exact test was used to compare the proportion of implant failures.


RESULTS
Fifty-two implants were placed in the immediately loaded group and 52 in the early loaded group. No dropouts or complications occurred up to 14 months postinsertion. One single implant failed in the immediately loaded group 2 months after placement. There was no statistically difference for the tested outcome measures between the 2 procedures (P > .99).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this randomized controlled clinical trial with 25 patients rehabilitated with immediately restored nonocclusally loaded implant-supported prostheses compared to 27 patients restored 2 months following placement suggest that there are no major clinical differences in implant survival between these 2 protocols. No biologic or prosthetic complications occurred.
Testori
Tiziano
T
Section of Implantology and Oral Rehabilitation, Department of Odontology, Galeazzi Institute, University of Milan, Italy.
Galli
Fabio
F
Capelli
Matteo
M
Zuffetti
Francesco
F
Esposito
Marco
M
D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods*; D015921:Dental Implants; D003776:Dental Porcelain; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003779:Denture Design; D003831:Denture, Partial, Immediate; D003833:Denture, Partial, Temporary; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D016876:Metal Ceramic Alloys; D008875:Middle Aged; D013165:Splints; D013997:Time Factors; D019415:Torque; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000180:Acrylic Resins; D015921:Dental Implants; D016876:Metal Ceramic Alloys; D003776:Dental Porcelain