Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography Analyses of Postoperative Labial Bone Thickness in Maxillary Anterior Implants: Comparing Immediate and Delayed Implant Placement

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of labial alveolar bone thickness and the corresponding vertical bone loss on postoperative gingival recessions around anterior maxillary dental implants. Using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanning, the temporal changes of three-dimensional images of alveolar bone were monitored to determine hard and soft tissue outcomes of two different implant placement techniques: delayed two-stage and immediate placement. Furthermore, for the delayed two-stage placement, guided bone regeneration was applied using either nonresorbable or resorbable membranes combined with anorganic bovine bone matrix. The comparative results suggested that gingival recessions were significantly lower in delayed two-stage placement, especially when using a nonresorbable membrane, compared to immediate placement, and labial bone thickness, measured by CBCT, offered an effectual indicator to assess gingival recession in the anterior region.