Introduction: This study aimed at testing the effect of the socket shield technique on the maintenance of the labial plate of bone and the change in position of its surrounding gingival soft tissues upon the immediate placement of 3 different dental implants systems, with a bone graft material filling the defects around the implants, followed by clinical and radiographic evaluation using the cone beam computed tomography after 4 and 12 months of loading.
Materials and Methods: Three groups, 6 male patients each, having a failing central or lateral maxillary incisor, had their failing tooth partially extracted, with the remaining tooth half reduced to be the socket shield, then the 3 groups received 3 different dental implants systems, the Tapered Internal implant RBT Laser-Lock for group I, the Touareg-S implant for group II, and group III received the Nobel Active implant. Then, the Novabone putty bone graft was dispensed in the space between the implant and the shield and covered with a customized healing abutment. After 4 months of healing, the patients were provided with definitive restorations, and followed after 4 and 12 months for gingival recession, papillae filling the interdental spaces, and CBCT evaluation of the labial plate of bone width and vertical resorption. Each result was then statistically analyzed.
Results: For all the cases in the study, no implant failed, no gingival recession was recorded, and the interdental papillae filled their spaces in most of the cases. also, no significant changes were recorded for the labial plate of bone width or height.
Conclusions: The socket shield technique was able to maintain the labial plate of bone and the position of the overlying free gingival margin, with the neighboring interdental papillae showing least dimensional changes.