Objective: To assess the osseointegration process after flapless immediate implant placement with or without immediate loading.
Material and methods: This study was carried out on six beagle dogs. Four implants were placed in the lower jaw (two per side) in each dog immediately after tooth extraction (3rd and 4th premolars). Flapless immediate implant placement was performed in one hemimandible (control). The same procedure was carried out in the contra-lateral side and immediate prosthesis was connected with occlusal contacts (test). After 3 months of healing, the dogs were sacrificed for histomorphometric analysis.
Results: Twelve implants were placed in each group. None of the implants and prosthesis was lost. The percentage of bone-to-implant contact (BIC %) was similar in both groups: 82.72% (test) and 76.96% (control). Differences were found neither in the inter-thread bone area (test: 83.45%, control: 80.65%) nor in peri-implant bone area (test: 94.37%, control: 94.81%).
Conclusion: In this animal model where the implants were well within the confines of the extraction socket, osseointegration following flapless immediate implant placement and loading can be achieved in the same manner as immediate placement without loading.
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.