Immediate functional loading of TiOblast dental implants in full-arch edentulous mandibles: a 3-year prospective study

Introduction: Implant-prosthetic rehabilitation of the completely edentulous mandible has evolved to a simplified procedure with shorter treatment time and survival rates of 95-100% depending on the implant system used. Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the 3-year clinical success of Astra Tech TiOblast implants, functionally loaded on the day of surgery with a fixed full-arch bridge in the mandible. Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty-five implants of 3.5-4 mm width and 11-17 mm length were installed in 25 edentulous mandibles of 15 female and 10 male patients. Implants were functionally loaded on the day of surgery with a provisional, acrylic, glassfibre reinforced, 10 unit bridge. After 3-4 months, the final 12-unit bridge was constructed. Radiographical bone loss was measured on peri-apical radiographs after 3, 12, 24 and 36 months. Results: All implants were functional during the whole study period yielding a survival rate of 100%. None of the fixtures showed pain or mobility after manual torque with 20 N cm at the 3-month control. Mean radiographical bone loss after 3 months and 1, 2 and 3 years was 0.6 mm (SD 0.7), 0.8 mm (SD 0.8), 1 mm (SD 0.8) and 1.3 (SD 1) respectively, which was statistically significantly increasing up to 1 year. Conclusion: Immediate loading of full-arch mandibular bridgework on five TiOblast implants offers a long-lasting clinical result with 100% fixture survival and stable bone-to-implant contact up to 3 years.