One-Step Surgical Placement of Branemark Implants: A Prospective Multicenter Clinical Study

This prospective longitudinal multicenter study evaluated the clinical outsomes after placement and restoration of one-step Branemark implants into the maxillae and mandibles of completely and partially edentulous patients. Six surgical treatment centers participated in this study, in which 135 implants were placed into 63 adult patients. All implants were stable after placement. The majority of impl ants were placed into type B bone with minimal jaw resorption and type 2 bone quality. After implant placement, standard transmucosal healing abutments were firmly placed. The average amount of time between implant placement and prosthetic abutment connection was 170 days in the maxillae and 147 days in the mandibles. To evaluate crestal bone changes caused by implant placement, a periodontal probe was used to measure midbuccally from the top of the implant cylinder to the alveolar crest; in 29 patients, 54 midbuccal bone crest sites were remeasured following prosthetic abutment connection. Crestal bone changes in mandibles and maxillae were statistically and clinically insignificant. Six implants were lost prior to loading and one implant has not been restored. No implants or restorations were lost after loading. At 1 year, the implant success rate was 95.6%. Mesiodistal radiographic measurements from 34 patients were averaged, and changes from prosthetic abutment connection to, on average, 12 months follow-up were compared. The radiographs, which were d igitalized, measured from the bottom of the implant cylinder to the most coronal bone in contact with implant thread. For mandibular implants, the mean radiographic bone level at prosthetic abutment connection was 1.07 mm; after loading, it was 1.35 mm. For maxillary implants, the mean radiographic bone height at prosthetic abutment connection was 1.16 mm; after loading, it was 1.36 mm. These changes were not statistically significant. The 1-year outcomes from this patient series indicate that one-step Branemark implants provide excellent clinical results when placed in patients with good bone quality and quantity.