Implant dentistry constitutes a therapeutic modality in the prosthodontic treatment of partially and totally edentulous patients. This study reports a long-term evaluation of treatment by the early loading of acid-etched surface implants. Forty-eight partially and totally edentulous patients were treated with 169 TSA Defcon® acid-etched surface implants for prosthodontic rehabilitation. Implants were loaded after a healing free-loading period of 6-8 weeks in mandible and maxilla, respectively. Implant and prosthodontic clinical findings were followed during at least 17 years. Clinical results indicate a survival and success rate of implants of 92.9%, demonstrating that acid-etched surface achieves and maintains successful osseointegration. Five implants in three patients were lost during the healing period. Sixty-five prostheses were placed in 45 patients over the remaining 164 implants, 30 single crowns, 21 partially fixed bridges, 9 overdentures, and 5 full-arch fixed rehabilitations. A total of 12 implants were lost during the follow-up period. Mean marginal bone loss was 1.91 ± 1.24 mm, ranging from 1.1 to 3.6 mm. The most frequent complication was prosthetic technical complications (14.2%), followed by peri-implantitis (10.6%). The mean follow-up was of 214.4 months (208-228 months). Prosthodontic rehabilitation with an early-loading protocol over acid-etched surface implants is a successful implant treatment.
Keywords: acid-etched surface; early loading; implant dentistry; long-term evaluation; osseointegration.