A 2-year follow-up study on standard length implants inserted into alveolar bone sites augmented with homografts.

OBJECTIVE In the last decade, several investigators have reported that standard length implants (SLIs) have achieved excellent results but no report regarding SLIs (i.e. SLI, length=13 mm) inserted into alveolar bone sites previously augmented with frozen bone (FB) is available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of SLIs inserted into alveolar bone sites previously augmented with FB. PATIENTS AND METHODS The survival and success rate of standard dental implants was evaluated after surgical placement into alveolar bone sites previously augmented with FB. The distance between Implant Abutment Junction and crestal bone level (i.e. delta IAJ) was measured to evaluate the peri-implant bone loss over time. Kaplan-Meier algorithm and Cox regression were used. RESULTS The implant survival rate was 97.6% and no differences were detected among the studied variables by using implant loss. On the contrary, the Cox regression showed that implant surface (i.e. sandblasted and acid-etched-SLA- and CaPO(4)ceramic-blasted implants, p=0.0037), graft site (i.e. maxilla, p=0.0438) and prosthetic restoration (i.e. removable dentures, p=0.0003) correlated with a statistically significant reduced crestal bone loss (i.e. success rate). CONCLUSION SLIs had a high survival and success rate similar to those reported in previous studies of two-stage procedures in non-grafted bone. FB is a reliable material for alveolar reconstruction and implant insertion.