Purpose: The study aims to evaluate clinically the thickness of the alveolar ridge mucosa underneath a zirconia implant-supported restoration with a modified ovate pontic.
Materials and methods: Sixty-five patients, 32 women and 33 men (mean age: 65.5 years; range 38-81), were included. A total of 383 implants (303 in the maxilla; 80 in the mandible), supporting 81 full or partial fixed dental prostheses (65 in the maxilla; 16 in the mandible), were either cement- or screw-retained. Three years after loading, a total of 219 pontic sites (153 in the maxilla; 66 in the mandible) were measured, and the thickness of the alveolar ridge mucosa between the prosthetic surface and the underlying bone crest were recorded.
Results: The overall implant and prosthesis survival rates at 3 years were 98.7% and 100%, respectively. No implant complications were reported, scoring a cumulative implant success rate of 100%. In the maxilla, the overall mean thickness of the alveolar ridge mucosa was 2.32 ± 0.57 mm. In the mandible, the overall mean thickness of the alveolar ridge mucosa was 2.20 ± 0.62 mm. There was no statistical difference between the overall mean values in the maxilla and mandible (p = .471).
Conclusion: This radiologic retrospective study suggests the existence of a physiological barrier, named prosthetic biological width, underneath a novel pontic-designed restoration.
Keywords: biologic width; dental implants; pontic; soft tissue conditioning; zirconia.
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.