Immediate Functional Loading of Single-Tooth TIO Grit-Blasted Implant Restorations: A Controlled Prospective Study in a Porcine Model. Part I: Clinical Outcome

Background: Although favorable integration occurs with immediately loaded implants, the relationship between implant outcome, levels of occlusion, and diet requires optimization. Purpose: Pertubating load on single implant restorations immediately after placement by a hard food diet will increase the strains at the bone-implant interface, increasing the risk for failure. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight implants replaced the first and third mandibular premolars in 12 pigs, allocated into two groups based on soft- and hard-diet feeding. Cylindrical and tapered implants replaced the first and third premolars, respectively. Each animal received at random four different masticatory loading conditions (group 1 control]: implant with either a cover screw or a healing abutment, and group 2 test]: implant with a crown either with or without occlusal contacts). Results: Thirteen implants out of 44 failed in 11 animals (one with a cover screw, one with a healing abutment, three with nonocclusal, and eight with occlusal restorations). The failure rate of restored implants (either in occlusion or not) was significantly higher in the third premolar sites (p=.007), although diet had no significant effect (p=.421). Conclusions: While diet had no effect on the failure pattern of immediately loaded single implants, the position and type of load under the masticatory mode were significant. Immediately loaded implants both in and out of occlusion were less successful than the controls, and this is probably attributed to detrimental strain induced on the bone-implant interface.