title: Early-loaded laser-sintered versus acid-etched one-piece dental implants for mandibular premolars replacement: a preliminary study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early loading of dental implants can simplify treatment and increase patient's satisfaction. This 1-year preliminary clinical trial aimed to clinically and radiographically evaluate early-loaded one-piece implants that had either laser-sintered or acid-etched surfaces.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with missing mandibular premolars received 60 implants of one-piece type that were subjected to early loading after 3 weeks of initial placement. Group 1 included 30 implants with laser-sintered surface while group 2 included 30 implants with acid-etched surface. Patients were recalled for follow-up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after loading.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference (P > 0.05) was found between the 2 implant groups at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of implant loading, and all implants were considered successful after 12 months of follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results suggest that these implants are associated with satisfactory clinical and radiographic outcomes. Laser versus acid-etched surface treatments did not show any significant difference among different clinical measures or radiographic evaluations at different follow-up times. However, wider application for longer follow-up periods is required for further conclusive recommendations.
authors.affiliation: *PhD Candidate, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt. †Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt. ‡Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt. §Fixed Prosthodontics Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt. ‖BDS Graduate, College of Dentistry, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq. #Postdoctoral Fellow, Medical Physics Unit, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Gammal
authors.forename: Nahed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghoneem
authors.forename: Heba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tawfik
authors.forename: Manal Abou
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Madina
authors.forename: Omar N
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Fadhil
authors.forename: Ola M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Maria
mesh_terms: D000134:Acid Etching, Dental; D001641:Bicuspid; D015921:Dental Implants; D007834:Lasers; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants