The implant-supported restoration of missing teeth is a recognized method of treatment that ensures a functional, esthetic and durable effect, along with patient satisfaction. However, the preferable time of dental implant loading is under debate. Currently, 3 protocols are used: immediate loading; early loading; and conventional (late) loading. Immediate loading provides benefits such as short treatment time, the elimination of the second surgery required for later loading protocols, the protection of the gingival papilla, an immediate esthetic effect, and high patient satisfaction. This review aimed to summarize the evidence on the impact of loading time on marginal bone loss (MBL) around dental implants, which is considered a useful measure of implantological treatment effects. A literature search was conducted based on the PubMed/MEDLINE database. The search focused on studies providing the MBL values by protocol. Out of the 1,366 hits received in the initial search, 10 studies were included in the qualitative analysis. At 12 months, the MBL range was 0.17-1.86 mm in patients undergoing the immediate protocol, 0.14-1.22 mm in patients undergoing the early protocol, and 0.44-0.91 mm in patients undergoing the late protocol. The studies were heterogeneous, but no significant differences in the occurrence of MBL were reported between the immediately and early loaded implants as compared with the conventionally loaded ones. Further studies are needed to determine other factors that might be related to the type of protocol, important for optimal patient treatment.
Keywords: dental implants; loading protocol; loading time; marginal bone loss.