Immediate Versus Delayed Loading of Postextraction Implants : a Long-Term Retrospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE: To compare the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes between immediate loading (IL) and conventional loading of implants placed immediately in fresh extraction sockets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographic data, implant details, and periapical radiographs of patients were collected. The long-term marginal bone level remodeling and implant survival rate were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (mean age 52.55 ± 14.61 years) with 35 implants immediately inserted into postextraction sites (22 immediate loaded and 13 delayed loaded) were analyzed. The mean follow-up duration was 6 years (range 2-11 years). The implant cumulative survival rate was 96.5%. At the longest follow-up, the mean crestal bone level averaged 0.144 ± 0.705 for IL and 0.161 ± 0.877 for delayed loading, respectively. The mean implant aesthetic score was 7. CONCLUSIONS: IL does not negatively influence the long-term prognosis of implants inserted into fresh extraction sockets.