Marginal bone loss around crestal or subcrestal dental implants: prospective clinical study

Abstract

Objectives: The stability of crestal bone has been reported as a major factor in the success of dental implants. Implants can be placed in an equicrestal (crestal) or subcrestal position. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of implant depth placement on marginal bone loss. Materials and Methods: The study was created in a split-mouth design. Immediately after implant surgery, digital parallel radiographs were prepared and levels of bone were measured where marginal bone loss and bone level changes occurred. These measurements were repeated at 3-month and 6-month follow-up periods. Results: In this interventional study, 49 implants were evaluated in 18 patients. Primary bone height was not significant between the intervention and control groups in both mesial and distal aspects at 3 months and 6 months from the baseline. The mean marginal bone loss on the mesial side was 1.03 mm in the subcrestal group and 0.83 mm in the crestal group. In addition, mean marginal bone loss on the distal side was 0.88 mm and 0.81 mm in the subcrestal and crestal groups, respectively. Marginal bone loss was not significantly different between sexes, the maxilla or mandible, and in the anterior or posterior regions as well as between different lengths and diameters of implants. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, there was no significant difference in terms of marginal bone loss between crestal and subcrestal implants.

Measures of Corticalization

“…When considering these aspects of the analysis, it should be emphasized that marginal bone loss has already been very well described in the literature, and the methods to diagnose it are known and evident [38][39][40][41][42][43]. It is also known to be an unequivocally unfavorable phenomenon for implant success [44][45][46]. Corticalization itself is suspected as a potentially unfavorable prognostic factor [3].…”

Are Torque-Induced Bone Texture Alterations Related to Early Marginal Jawbone Loss?

“…It is likely that the level of implant placement is not the only factor to have an impact on MBL. There are also studies that show that implant level placement does not have an influence on MBL near the implants [ 6 ]. MBL before the loading and exposure of the implant may be a result of different stresses of the implant neck.…”

“…Marginal bone loss is a condition where the bone surrounding the implant neck atrophies. It is affected by different factors, e.g., smoking, diabetes mellitus, vitamin D and 25-hydroxycholecaliferol level, implant placement technique, region of the jaw, and also torque during the surgical procedure [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. MBL may occur after few years, but also after the first 3 months of healing.…”

A Two-Year Follow-Up Assessment of Decreasing Crestal Bone Levels Around Dental Implants in Patients Rehabilitated With Mandibular Implant Overdentures

“…Bone loss associated with dental implants is one of the most studied and experimented with topics in implant dentistry. It has been widely debated and researched across the globe for decades still one has formulated a concrete statement or concept [15][16][17]. Recently many pioneer researchers, including Young et al, studied variants of CBCT and its role in dental implantology, and they claimed that CBCT is an ideal radiographic tool for estimating alveolar bone losses [18].…”