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Numerous studies demonstrate successful immediate loading of dental implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term survival of single-tooth implants immediately placed in fresh extraction sites at the anterior maxilla with immediate infraocclusion-provisional restorations and nonfunctional immediately loading.A total of 24 implants were placed in 16 patients. The fixed provisional restorations were connected to a prefabricated plastic abutment. Occlusal contacts were avoided. Follow-up starting at implantation day ranged from 24 to 72 months with a mean of 40.7 months.One implant failed 1 month after placement due to the unscrewing of a temporary abutment that resulted in implant overload. Overall implant survival rate resulted in 95.8%. The mean marginal bone loss increased by 0.9 +/- 1.1 mm. starting from implant placement.Within the limits of this study, the data indicate that nonfunctional immediate loading of single-tooth implants placed in fresh extraction sites in the anterior maxilla can result in successful implant integration and stable peri-implant conditions up to 6 years.

The use of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a source for growth factors in bone grafting is a relatively new and promising technique. Early controlled studies indicate that combining PRP with autologous bone grafts significantly enhances the rate of bone formation and maturation. The study consisted of 105 patients who required sinus augmentation with crestal bone height of less than 5 mm in the posterior maxilla. All patients received a composite bone graft that consisted of 30% to 40% autogenous bone harvested from the lateral wall of the maxilla zygomatic-maxillary buttress and the tuberosity and 60% to 70% xenograft. A total of 50 mL of blood was obtained from each patient before the surgical treatment for preparation of 10 mL of PRP. The graft-PRP mixture was activated by human thrombin. All sinus augmentations were carried out simultaneously with dental implants. At 6 months postoperatively, implants were exposed showing no clinical evidence of crestal bone loss around the implants both clinically and radiographically. All implants were clinically osseointegrated and loaded with fixed porcelain fused to metal prosthesis. The use of PRP in augmenting the severely atrophic posterior maxilla has obvious clinical benefits in terms of reducing the healing period of bone maturation, better graft handling, and accelerated soft tissue healing.

The aim of the present study was to present results of single molar area rehabilitated by 2 narrow diameter dental implants.A retrospective cohort of 33 consecutive patients from 2 private practices between the years 2008 and 2009 had been evaluated. Patients who had a first molar single replaced by 2 narrow diameter implants (3 mm wide) were included in this case series. Patients' demographics, site and implant characteristics, and time of follow-up were recorded from the medical files.Overall, 33 patients received 66 implants replacing 33 missing first molars. Patients' age ranged from 23 to 76 years with an average of 49.2 ± 12.7 years. Most of the implants were used to replace a mandibular molar (76%) and 16 were used to replace 8 maxillary molars. In 2 patients, immediate implantation was performed. The mean distance between the adjacent teeth was 12.1 ± 1.0 mm. Follow-up time ranged from 10 to 18 months (average, 12.2 ± 1.9 months). All implants survived the follow-up time. One implant presented with 1 mm of bone loss at 12-month follow-up.Replacing a single missing molar with 2 narrow diameter dental implants might serve as a viable treatment option providing good and predictable long-term results.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the primary stability of implants placed in significantly pneumatized maxillary sinuses with minimum residual bone height. Seventeen patients who had been treated with simultaneous implant placement in sites with

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of implant length and diameter on implant survival.A retrospective cohort of 787 consecutive patients from 2 private practices between the years 2008 and 2011 had been evaluated. Patient demographics, site and implant characteristics, and time of follow-up were recorded from the medical files.Overall, 3043 implants were investigated. Overall survival rate was 98.7% with 39 implant failures recorded. Survival rates for narrow- (3.75 mm), regular- (3.75-5 mm), and wide- (5 mm) diameter implants were 98.2%, 98.7%, and 98.5%, respectively (P = 0.89). Survival rates of short (10 mm) and regular (10 mm and above) implants were 97% and 98.7%, respectively (P = 0.22).Implant length and diameter were not found to be significant factors affecting implant survival during the first 2 years of function in the present investigation of this specific implant system by a single manufacturer. Further long-term follow-up studies are warranted because 2-years are only interim short-term results when dealing with dental implants.

In the atrophic posterior maxilla, successful implant placement is often complicated by the lack of quality and volume of available bone. In these cases, sinus floor augmentation is recommended to gain sufficient bone around the implants. Sinus elevation can be performed by either an open lateral window approach or by a closed osteotome approach depending on available bone height. This case series demonstrates the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive antral membrane balloon elevation, followed by bone augmentation and implant fixation in 20 patients with a residual bone height of 2 to 6 mm below the sinus floor. The surgical procedure was performed using a flapless approach. At 18 months follow-up, the implant survival rate was 100%. Absence of patient morbidity and satisfactory bone augmentation with this minimally invasive procedure suggests that minimally invasive antral membrane balloon elevation should be considered as an alternative to some of the currently used methods of maxillary bone augmentation.

Background and objectives Analysis of tomodensitometric controls following sinus grafts clearly demonstrates a quite systematic lack of homogeneity. Sinus contamination by anaerobic bacteria seems almost unavoidable during bone graft surgery, and this problem may jeopardize the healing process. The aim of this study was to characterize in a systematic way the nonhomogeneities observed at 1, 2, or 3 months postsurgery within allogenous sinus grafts, and to assess the possible influence of a 0.5% sterile solution of metronidazole incorporated in the sinus bone graft. Materials This clinical study was conducted on 72 patients treated with single or bilateral sinus-lifts: 94 sinus elevations performed with freeze-dried bone allograft (Phoenix, TBF, Mions, France), with (test group) or without (control group) metronidazole. In the test group, each bone graft was hydrated with 2 mL of a 0.5% metronidazole solution, i.e., only 10 mg of metronidazole. All the patients went through a first presurgical computerized tomography (CT)-scan followed by a second scan performed at 1, 2, or 3 months postsurgery (which was used as the preimplant reference scan). For 11 patients, 2 postsurgical CT-scans were performed respectively at 10 days and 2 months. Using an arbitrary gray scale (Arbitrary Densitometric Unit) which functions according to the Hounsfield unit principle, the degree of radiographic homogeneity of the grafts was established. Density scattering provides some information on the homogeneity or nonhomogeneity of the bone graft. Results The 12 grafts performed without metronidazole show significant nonhomogeneities at 1, 2, or 3 months. Moreover, when a CT-scan is performed during the first postoperative days (at 10 days), the presence of air bubbles in the graft is confirmed. The tomodensitometric aspects of all grafts treated with metronidazole in this series are absolutely identical: they show a high degree of homogeneity. Sixty-three cases (76.8%) are homogeneous, and 19 cases (23.2%) are significantly homogeneous. The time at which the control scan is performed (10 days, 1, 2, or 3 months) does not seem to influence significantly the degree of homogeneity assessed. In the control group, some inflammatory events associated with facial oedema were observed in 25% of the cases. In the test group, no such event was recorded for the 82 sinus-lifts treated with metronidazole. Conclusion A possible correlation may exist between the occurrence of non homogeneities within the bone grafts and the anaerobic bacterial contamination. The local use of a very small quantity of metronidazole (equivalent to only 1/20 of a common 200 mg oral tablet) could provide more security when performing sinus-lift procedures and an improved quality of the graft. This protocol should not be considered as an antibiotherapy, but only as way to limit the initial contamination of bone graft.

Two of the major obstacles for dental implant placement to replace missing teeth are the lack of adequate bone width and interdental space. Overcoming these limitations requires bone augmentation procedures that transform the deficient ridge into a ridge that is capable of receiving conventional tooth-form implants. In the case of inadequate interdental space, orthodontic tooth movement is advocated before implantation. Using narrow-diameter mini-implants allows the clinician to overcome both of these obstacles without the need for additional grafting procedures or orthodontic tooth movement. The mini-implants are immediately loaded and restored so as to enable the patient to have satisfactory mastication and aesthetic appearance. A 5-year follow up of 32 implants demonstrates the benefit of this treatment modality.

The healing period between implant insertion and exposure is often challenging for both the patient and the surgeon. The use of a removable dental prosthesis is not recommended for a period of several days to 2 weeks in an effort to avoid undue pressure being placed on the newly placed implants and on the surrounding soft tissues. However, patients are frequently uneasy without dentures, even for a short period of time, because their diet and appearance are compromised. A simple technique was developed to overcome these obstacles. This technique allows the surgeon to place an immediate implant-supported prosthesis, based on two transitional implants, in addition to the implants placed for final restoration. This technique is performed at the surgical stage simultaneously with the placement of the permanent implants. It requires minimal additional time, and makes use of the patient's original prosthesis as an interim removable restoration during the integration period.