Background: Immediate occlusal implant loading has been documented as a viable treatment option for various indications. However, documentations related to full-arch rehabilitation are usually limited to treatment of one jaw at a time, thereby leaving the opposing dentition unchanged. Furthermore, clinical documentation using traditional, well-accepted measuring techniques may not be adequate when it comes to short-term evaluation of the success or failure of implants subjected to immediate occlusal loading.
Purpose: The purpose of this case report is to (1) present an implant stability follow-up of a patient receiving an immediate, implant-supported full-arch rehabilitation in both jaws and (2) evaluate the patient's acceptance of this rehabilitation.
Materials and methods: A 68-year-old patient scheduled for implant treatment was selected for an immediate implant loading protocol in both jaws. During two surgical events 3 weeks apart, eight maxillary and four mandibular Brånemark System Mk IV TiUnite fixtures (Nobel Biocare AB, Göteborg, Sweden) were inserted and subsequently used to immediately support a cross-arch fixed prosthesis in the maxilla and a bar-retained overdenture in the mandible. Implant stability was recorded from the day of surgery periodically during a 1-year follow-up using resonance frequency analysis (RFA).
Results: At the 1-year follow-up, based on clinical, RFA, and radiographic evaluations, all implants and the reconstructions were classified as successful. All maxillary implants showed a decrease in the implant stability quotient (ISQ) value from the measurement at the time of surgery to the first follow-up, whereas two of four mandibular implants revealed an initial drop in stability. Irrespective of a specific ISQ level measured at implant surgery (ISQ range 53-74) and despite an initial decrease in stability, measurements recorded at the 12-month follow-up indicated similar stability levels for all maxillary implants (ISQ range 64-68) or the group of mandibular implants (ISQ range 72-75) but with a higher ISQ level for mandibular implants. Furthermore, the patient's acceptance of the immediate full-arch rehabilitation in both jaws was high.
Conclusions: The present case report demonstrates that a slightly staged approach for full-arch rehabilitation in both jaws using immediate implant loading protocols is a realistic treatment option. Furthermore, RFA follow-up indicates that immediately occlusally loaded implants placed in reduced bone quality and quantity are more prone to loose stability in the early healing period compared with implants placed in dense bone quality.