title: Stability and Marginal Bone Level Changes of SLActive Titanium-Zirconium Implants Placed with Flapless Surgery: A Prospective Pilot Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immediately-loaded, narrow-diameter implants can be a less invasive alternative for the implant-supported fixed rehabilitation of narrow, posterior crests.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the stability and marginal bone level (MBL) changes of narrow-diameter, titanium-zirconium (TiZr) implants placed with flapless surgery and loaded immediately in the posterior region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight TiZr implants (3.3 mm diameter, 10 mm length, Roxolid, Straumann AG) were placed in the posterior crests of 14 patients with computer-guided flapless surgery as a support of 3-unit posterior bridges. Eighteen implants were loaded immediately, and 20 implants were loaded conventionally. The implant stability quotients were determined at the 1, 2, 4, and 8. weeks of healing before conventional loading, and at the 3, 6, and 12. months after loading by resonance frequency analysis. The MBL changes were measured by digital radiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The surgical protocols were accomplished without any biological complications. There was no significant difference in the stability changes of TiZr implants between the loading groups (p > .05). The MBL changes were -0.18 ± 0.27 mm and -0.24 ± 0.27 mm at the 12. month of immediate and conventional loading, respectively, which was not statistically significant (p > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The stability and MBL changes of TiZr implants supporting posterior 3-unit bridges were clinically acceptable at the first year of loading.
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Altinci
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulsen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Can
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Onur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gunes
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Caner
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015921:Dental Implants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014025:Titanium / Q000032:analysis; D015040:Zirconium / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants; D015040:Zirconium; D014025:Titanium
keywords: flapless surgery; immediate loading; marginal bone level; resonance frequency analysis; titanium-zirconium implant