Purpose: Comprehensive rehabilitation in patients with severe periodontal destruction may require the use of dental implants. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate bone volume changes in periodontally compromised patients over a 12-month follow-up period after immediate full-arch implant reconstruction of the mandible. The secondary aim was to evaluate the repeatability of 3D bone volume change measurement methods around dental implants. The null hypothesis was that bone volume would decrease in the first year after delivery of the definitive prosthetic reconstruction.
Materials and methods: This retrospective study analyzed CBCT scans of 16 patients before and after computer-guided immediate full-arch implant reconstruction of the mandible. The bone volume change in the mandibular body and around the implants and the peri-implant bone area in coronal and axial cross sections were calculated.
Results: The average bone gain for the mandibular body was 3.3% ± 1.8%. The average bone volume increase in the peri-implant area was 23.2% ± 16.7%. The interobserver and intraobserver ICC values for 3D measurements were high (> 0.85).
Conclusion: The null hypothesis was rejected. Both mandibular body and peri-implant surroundings undergo bone remodeling in the form of bone gain over 12 months after immediate implantation.
