Denis Cecchinato

Factors influencing ridge alterations following immediate implant placement into extraction sockets

AIM To identify factors that may influence ridge alterations occurring at the buccal aspect of the extraction site following immediate implant placement. MATERIAL AND METHODS In 93 subjects, single-tooth implants were placed immediately into extraction sockets in the maxilla (tooth locations 15-25). A series of measurements describing the extraction site were made immediately after implant installation and at re-entry, 16 weeks later. The implant sites were stratified according to four factors: (i) implant location (anterior/posterior), (ii) cause of tooth extraction (periodontitis/non-periodontitis), (iii) thickness of the buccal bone walls (< or = 1 or > 1 mm) and (iv) the dimension of the horizontal buccal gap (< or = 1 or > 1 mm). RESULTS (i) The location where the implant was placed (anterior/posterior) as well as (ii) the thickness of the buccal bone crest and (iii) the size of the horizontal buccal gap significantly influenced the amount of hard tissue alteration that occurred during a 4-month period of healing. At implant sites in the premolar segment, the fill of the horizontal gap was more pronounced than in the incisor-canine segment, while the vertical crest reduction was significantly smaller. Furthermore, at sites where the buccal bone wall was thick (>1 mm) and where the horizontal gap was large (>1 mm), the degree of gap fill was substantial. CONCLUSIONS The thickness of the buccal bone wall as well as the dimension of the horizontal gap influenced the hard tissue alterations that occur following immediate implant placement into extraction sockets.

A prospective, randomized‐controlled clinical trial to evaluate bone preservation using implants with different geometry placed into extraction sockets in the maxilla

AIM The primary objective of this study was to determine the association between the size of the void established by using two different implant configurations and the amount of buccal/palatal bone loss that occurred during 16 weeks of healing following their installation into extraction sockets. MATERIAL AND METHODS The clinical trial was designed as a prospective, randomized-controlled parallel-group multicenter study. Adults in need of one or more implants replacing teeth to be removed in the maxilla within the region 15-25 were recruited. Following tooth extraction, the site was randomly allocated to receive either a cylindrical (group A) or a tapered implant (group B). After implant installation, a series of measurements were made to determine the dimension of the ridge and the void between the implant and the extraction socket. These measurements were repeated at the re-entry procedure after 16 weeks. RESULTS The study demonstrated that the removal of single teeth and the immediate placement of an implant resulted in marked alterations of the dimension of the buccal ridge (43% and 30%) and the horizontal (80-63%) as well as the vertical (69-65%) gap between the implant and the bone walls. Although the dimensional changes were not significantly different between the two-implant configurations, both the horizontal and the vertical gap changes were greater in group A than in group B. CONCLUSIONS Implant placement into extraction sockets will result in significant bone reduction of the alveolar ridge.

Bone dimensional variations at implants placed in fresh extraction sockets: a multilevel multivariate analysis

AIM To use multilevel, multivariate models to analyze factors that may affect bone alterations during healing after an implant immediately placed into an extraction socket. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data included in the current analysis were obtained from a clinical trial in which a series of measurements were performed to characterize the extraction site immediately after implant installation and at re-entry 4 months later. A regression multilevel, multivariate model was built to analyze factors affecting the following variables: (i) the distance between the implant surface and the outer bony crest (S-OC), (ii) the horizontal residual gap (S-IC), (iii) the vertical residual gap (R-D) and (iv) the vertical position of the bone crest opposite the implant (R-C). RESULTS It was demonstrated that (i) the S-OC change was significantly affected by the thickness of the bone crest; (ii) the size of the residual gap was dependent of the size of the initial gap and the thickness of the bone crest; and (iii) the reduction of the buccal vertical gap was dependent on the age of the subject. Moreover, the position of the implant opposite the alveolar crest of the buccal ridge and its bucco-lingual implant position influenced the amount of buccal crest resorption. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians must consider the thickness of the buccal bony wall in the extraction site and the vertical as well as the horizontal positioning of the implant in the socket, because these factors will influence hard tissue changes during healing.

Analysis of the socket bone wall dimensions in the upper maxilla in relation to immediate implant placement

BACKGROUND Animal and human researches have shown that immediate implant placement into extraction sockets failed to prevent socket dimensional changes following tooth extraction. It has been suggested that a minimal width of 1-2 mm of buccal bone is necessary to maintain a stable vertical dimension of the alveolar crest. AIM To determine the dimensions of the bony wall at extraction sites in the esthetic zone (anterior teeth and premolars in the maxilla) and relate it to immediate implant placement. METHODS As part of an ongoing prospective randomized-controlled multicenter clinical study on immediate implant placement, the width of the buccal and palatal bony walls was recorded at 93 extraction sites. RESULTS The mean width of the buccal and palatal bony walls was 1 and 1.2 mm, respectively (P<0.05). For the anterior sites (canine to canine), the mean width of the buccal bony wall was 0.8 mm. For the posterior (premolar) sites, it was 1.1 mm (P<0.05). In the anterior sites, 87% of the buccal bony walls had a width < or = 1 mm and 3% of the walls were 2 mm wide. In the posterior sites, the corresponding values were 59% and 9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS If the criterion of a minimal buccal bone width of 2 mm to maintain a stable buccal bony wall is valid, only a limited number of sites in the anterior maxilla display such a clinical situation. The data suggested that in the majority of extraction sites in the anterior maxilla, thin (< or = 1 mm) buccal walls were present. This, in turn, means that in most clinical situations encountered, augmentation procedures are needed to achieve adequate bony contours around the implant.

Bone level alterations at implants placed in the posterior segments of the dentition: outcome of submerged/non-submerged healing. A 5-year multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVE To determine if longitudinal bone level change at Astra Tech implants placed in the posterior part of the dentition was influenced by the healing conditions provided following implant placement, i.e., submerged or non-submerged healing. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-four patients and 115 fixed partial dentures (FPDs or cases) entered the study. The cases were randomized into two implant installation groups: initially non-submerged (group A) or initially submerged (group B) implants. Three hundred and twenty-four implants were installed (group A=153; group B=171): 145 in the maxilla and 179 in the mandible. Radiographs from the implant sites were obtained at FPD insertion (baseline) and subsequently every 12 months. In the radiographs, the position of the marginal bone at the mesial and distal aspects of the implants was determined and the radiographic (Rx) bone level change over time was calculated. RESULTS Seven implants failed to integrate (four in group A and three in group B). During the 5 years of monitoring, three implants had to be removed and 35 implants were lost to follow-up. The Rx bone level alteration that occurred during year 1 was 0.02+/-0.38 mm in group A and 0.17+/-0.51 mm in group B. During the subsequent 4 years there was some further Rx bone loss in group B (0.02+/-0.62 mm), while in group A there was some gain of bone (0.07+/-0.5 mm). CONCLUSION The peri-implant bone level change and number of biological complications that took place during the 5 years was small and unrelated to the surgical protocol used for implant placement.

Osseointegration in periodontitis susceptible individuals

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to examine tissue integration of implants placed (i) in subjects who had lost teeth because of advanced periodontal disease or for other reasons, (ii) in the posterior maxilla exhibiting varying amounts of mineralized bone. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-six subjects were enrolled; 19 had lost teeth because of advanced periodontitis (group P) while the remaining 17 subjects had suffered tooth loss from other reasons (group NP). As part of site preparation for implant placement, a 3 mm trephine drill was used to remove one or more 2 mm wide and 5-6 mm long block of hard tissue [biopsy site; Lindhe et al. (2011). Clinical of Oral Implants Research, DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2011.02205.x]. Lateral to the biopsy site a twist drill (diameter 2 mm) was used to prepare the hard tissue in the posterior maxilla for the placement of a screw-shaped, self-tapping micro-implant (implant site). The implants used were 5 mm long, had a diameter of 2.2 mm. After 3 months of healing, the micro-implants with surrounding hard tissue cores were retrieved using a trephine drill. The tissue was processed for ground sectioning. The blocks were cut parallel to the long axis of the implant and reduced to a thickness of about 20 μm and stained in toluidine blue. The percentage of (i) implant surface that was in contact with mineralized bone as well as (ii) the amount of bone present within the threads of the micro-implants (percentage bone area) was determined. RESULTS Healing including hard tissue formation around implants placed in the posterior maxilla was similar in periodontitis susceptible and non-susceptible subjects. Thus, the degree of bone-to-implant contact (about 59%) as well as the amount of mineralized bone within threads of the micro-implant (about 45-50%) was similar in the two groups of subjects. Pearsons coefficient disclosed that there was a weak negative correlation (-0.49; P < 0.05) between volume of fibrous tissue (biopsy sites) and the length of bone to implant contact (BIC) while there was a weak positive correlation (0.51; P < 0.05) between the volume of bone marrow and BIC.

Soft tissues stability of cad‐cam and stock abutments in anterior regions: 2‐year prospective multicentric cohort study

AIM Aim of this study was to verify if the type of implant abutment manufacturing, stock or cad-cam, could influence the maintenance of stable gingival margins around single restorations in anterior areas. METHODS After 16 weeks of healing, implants (Osseospeed, Astra Tech Dental Implant) were positioned. Depending on the different fixture inclination and the thickness of buccal peri-implant soft tissue, abutment selection resulted in four groups: Group 1 (patients with zirconia ZirDesign(®) stock abutments), Group 2 (titanium stock TiDesign(®) abutments), Group 3 (zirconia cad-cam abutments), and Group 4 (titanium cad-cam abutments). The following parameters were assessed: buccal gingival margin modification (BGM). The modification of the implant gingival margin was followed at 1 and 2 years of follow-up. A computerized analysis was performed for measurements. Differences between soft tissue margin at baseline and after 2 years measured the gingival margin recession. A general linear model was used to evaluate each group in relation to gingival recession after two years. Tukeys post hoc test was used to compare the mean REC indexes of each group of abutments. RESULTS Seventy-two healthy patients (39 males and 33 females; mean age of 46 years) scheduled for single gap rehabilitation in anterior areas were enrolled. A 100% of implant survival rate was observed after 24 months of function. One failure occurred due to fracture of a Zirconia cad-cam abutment. Moreover, two abutment screw unscrewing were observed. Both for zirconia and titanium stock abutments (Group 1 and 2), the mean recession of implant buccal soft tissue was of 0.3 mm (SD of 0.3 and 0.4 mm, respectively). Soft tissue mean recession of zirconia and titanium cad-cam abutments (Group 3 and 4) was of 0.1 and -0.3 mm, respectively (SD of 0.3 and 0.4 mm, respectively). REC values of cad-cam titanium abutments (Group 4) were significantly lower than that of Group 1 (-0.57 mm), Group 2 (-0.61 mm), and Group 3 (-0.40 mm), respectively (Table 4). CONCLUSION In the anterior area, the use of cad-cam abutments is related to a better soft tissue stability. Such a relationship is significant if cad-cam titanium abutments are compared to both titanium and zirconia stock abutments.

The alveolar process of the edentulous maxilla in periodontitis and non‐periodontitis subjects

BACKGROUND Early implant failures may document that the bone tissue or the wound-healing process following installation surgery was compromised. Subjects who have lost teeth for periodontal reasons exhibit more earlier implant failures than subjects who had experienced tooth loss for other reasons. AIM To describe the tissue of the fully healed extraction sites in subjects who had lost teeth as a result of periodontitis or for other reasons. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-six otherwise healthy, partially dentate subjects with fully healed edentulous portions in the posterior maxilla were included. Nineteen of these subjects had lost teeth because of advanced periodontitis (group P) and 17 for other reasons (group NP). Using a trephine drill, a 4-6 mm long hard tissue specimen was harvested. The biopsies were decalcified, embedded in paraffin, sectioned, stained and examined. RESULTS The edentulous posterior maxilla was comprised of 47.1 ± 11% lamellar bone, 8.1 ± 7.1% woven bone, 4.3 ± 3.1% osteoid and 16.5 ± 10.4% bone marrow. There were no significant differences in the tissue composition of post-extraction sites of (i) P and NP subjects and (ii) premolar and molar sites. CONCLUSION More than 50% of the edentulous maxilla was comprised of mineralized bone (lamellar and woven bone). The bone trabeculae frequently appeared to have a random orientation. The direction of the trabeculae rather than the lack of mineralized bone tissue may explain the clinical impression that the bone in the posterior maxilla provides limited resistance to mechanical instrumentation.

Bone tissue in different parts of the edentulous maxilla and mandible

BACKGROUND The composition of the fully healed edentulous ridge of the posterior maxilla was recently examined and was found to contain about 50% mineralized bone and 16% bone marrow. AIM The objective was to examine the composition of the tissue of the fully healed ridge in different portions of the maxilla and the mandible in partially dentate subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-seven healthy subjects were included. A trephine drill was used to harvest hard tissue specimens. The biopsies were decalcified, embedded in paraffin, sectioned, stained, and examined using a point-counting procedure. RESULTS The marginal portion of the jaws almost consistently contained a cortical cap that was significantly wider in the mandible than in the maxilla and twice as wide in the anterior as in the posterior segments of the mandible. Lamellar bone and bone marrow were the dominating tissue elements. Lamellar bone occupied about 63% of the tissue in the mandible and 46% in the maxilla. The maxilla contained about 23% bone marrow as compared to 16% in the mandible. In the mandible, 70% (anterior) and 57% (posterior) were made up of lamellar bone. In the maxilla, the proportion of lamellar bone in the anterior and posterior segments was similar (about 45%). Bone marrow occupied close to 40% of the anterior maxilla, while in the posterior maxilla and the anterior and posterior mandible marrow comprised between 13 and 18%. CONCLUSION Marked differences existed with respect to tissue composition of the edentulous ridge between the maxilla and the mandible. The cortical crest was wider in the mandible than in the maxilla, and widest in the symphysis region of the mandible. The proportion of bone marrow was greater in the maxilla than in the mandible. The maxillary front tooth region was poor in lamellar bone but rich in bone marrow, while the anterior mandible contained large amounts of mineralized bone but small amounts of bone marrow.

A prospective, randomized, controlled study using OsseoSpeed™ implants placed in maxillary fresh extraction socket: soft tissues response

PURPOSE The aim of this work was to study the peri-implant soft tissues response, by evaluating both the recession and the papilla indexes, of patients treated with implants with two different configurations. In addition, data were stratified by tooth category, smoking habit and thickness of buccal bone wall. MATERIALS AND METHODS The clinical trial was designed as a prospective, randomized-controlled multicenter study. Adults in need of one or more implants replacing teeth to be removed in the maxilla within the region 15-25 were recruited. Following tooth extraction, the site was randomly allocated to receive either a cylindrical or conical/cylindrical implant. The following parameters were studied: (i) Soft tissue recession (REC) measured by comparing the gingival zenith (GZ) score at baseline (permanent restoration) with that of the yearly follow-up visits over a period of 3 years (V1, V2 and V3). (ii) Interdental Papilla Index (PI): PI measurements were performed at baseline and compared with that of the follow-up visits. In addition, data were stratified by different variables: tooth category: anterior (incisors and canine) and posterior (first and second premolar); smoking habit: patient smoker (habitual or occasional smoker at inclusion) or non-smoker (non-smoker or ex-smoker at inclusion) and thickness of buccal bone wall (TB): TB ≤ 1 mm (thin buccal wall) or TB > 1 mm (thick buccal wall). RESULTS A total of 93 patients were treated with 93 implants. At the surgical re-entry one implant was mobile and then removed; moreover, one patient was lost to follow-up. Ninety-one patients were restored with 91 implant-supported permanent single crowns. After the 3-year follow-up, a mean gain of 0.23 mm of GZ was measured; moreover, 79% and 72% of mesial and distal papillae were classified as >50%/ complete, respectively. From the stratification analysis, not significant differences were found between the mean GZ scores of implants with TB ≤ 1 mm (thin buccal wall) and TB > 1 mm (thick buccal wall), respectively (P < 0.05, Mann-Whitney U-test) at baseline, at V1, V2 and V3 follow-up visits. Also, the other variables did not seem to influence GZ changes over the follow-up period. Moreover, a re-growth of the interproximal mesial and distal papillae was the general trend observed independently from the variables studied. CONCLUSIONS Immediate single implant treatment may be considered a predictable option regarding soft tissue stability over a period of 3 years of follow-up. An overall buccal soft tissue stability was observed during the GZ changes from the baseline to the 3 years of follow-up with a mean GZ reduction of 0.23 mm. A nearly full papillary re-growth can be detectable over a minimum period of 2 years of follow-up for both cylindrical and conical/cylindrical implants. Both the interproximal papilla filling and the midfacial mucosa stability were not influenced by variables such as type of fixture configuration, tooth category, smoke habit, and thickness of buccal bone wall of ≤ 1 mm (thin buccal wall).