Five-Year Prospective Study on Implant Failure and Marginal Bone Remodeling Expected Using Bone Level Implants with Sandblasted/Acid-Etched Surface and Conical Connection

Objective The purpose of the present prospective, case-series study was to report implant survival rate and marginal bone remodeling expected 5 years after loading using dental implants placed in daily practice. Materials and Methods This research was designed as an open-cohort, prospective, case-series evaluation. Any partially or completely edentulous patient, scheduled to receive at least one bone level implant, was considered eligible for this study. Primary outcome measurements were: implant and prosthetic cumulative survival rate and any complications experienced up to the 5-year follow-up. Secondary outcome measures were: thickness of gingival biotype, implant insertion torque, implant stability quotient, and marginal bone loss (MBL). Results Ninety consecutive patients (34 males and 56 females, aged between 24 and 81 years old [mean: 53.2 ± 15.4]) with 243 inserted implants were followed for at least 5 years after loading (mean: 65.4 ± 3.1 months; range from 60 to 72). At the 1-year follow-up, no drop-outs were recorded, but 17 patients (18.9%) with 18 restorations (12.6%) delivered on 34 implants (14%) were lost at the 5-year examination. At the 5-year follow-up examination, six implants lost osseointegration (97.5%). In the same period, four prostheses failed (97.2%). Five complications were reported in five different patients (prosthetic success rate was 96.5%, at patient level). Five years after loading, the mean MBL was 0.41 ± 0.30 mm. The difference from the 1-year data was 0.04 ± 0.19 mm. A statistically significant higher MBL was found for smokers, and patients with thin gingival biotype. The mean implant insertion torque was 42.9 ± 4.8 Ncm (range from 15 to 45 Ncm). Two-hundred and three implants (83.5%) were inserted with an insertion torque ≥35 and ≤45 Ncm. Conclusions High implant survival and success rate could be expected with stable marginal bone remodeling up to 5 years after loading. Smoking and thin tissue biotype were the most important variabilities associated with higher MBL. Further research studies are needed to confirm these results.