Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 2-year outcomes of the one-tooth onetime complete digital workflow, allowing the immediate loading of a single implant in the posterior region with a final CAD/CAM crown made of a polymer-infiltrated ceramic network.
Materials and methods: A series of 10 implants were placed, and an intraoral scan was taken after surgery. A final screw-retained polymer-infiltrated ceramic network crown was manufactured chairside and placed the same day in full occlusion. Marginal peri-implant bone changes and soft tissue health were evaluated, and restoration performance was assessed using FDI World Dental Federation criteria and pink and white aesthetic scores. Patient-reported outcome measures and data on the time required to perform the procedures were collected.
Results: After 2 years, the implant survival rate was 100%. The debonding of one crown from its titanium base led to prosthodontic survival rate of 90% and the remaining crowns were all considered successful. The mean marginal peri-implant bone changes yielded 0.87 mm (standard deviation 0.96 mm) and 0.55 mm (standard deviation 0.53 mm) after 1 and 2 years, respectively. Mild or no inflammation of peri-implant soft tissue was observed in most implants. The total treatment time was 175 minutes and patient-reported outcome measures displayed high patient satisfaction.
Conclusions: This study constitutes the first report examining immediate loading of a single implant in the posterior region with a final crown in occlusion. In this case series, the 2-year outcomes of the one-tooth one-time protocol seem rather promising and fulfilled patient expectations. However, these preliminary results need to be confirmed by randomised controlled trials, and patient selection is likely to be a key factor in the success of this procedure.