Background: Rehabilitation of single edentulous maxillary arches with screw-retained prostheses is considered an optimal treatment choice. However, atrophy in the maxilla may result in deficient bone volume for implants. The “All-on-4" concept offers favorable clinical results for immediate rehabilitation. Primary stability is essential for efficient immediate loading. Different osteotomy procedures were proposed for preparation of the implant site. Osseodensification is used to improve quality of bone and initial stability.
Aim of the study: To compare and evaluate the effect of osseodensification versus self-tapping technique on immediately loaded maxillary fixed-detachable restorations retained by implants inserted according to the all-on-four concept.
Materials and methods: Twelve patients with maxillary posterior atrophy, received screw-retained restorations retained by implants placed following the all–on-four concept. Split mouth design was conducted whereas each patient received two implants inserted following the osseodensification technique and two utilizing the self-tapping technique followed by immediate loading. Implant stability was evaluated immediately after surgery and 12 months.
Results: Implant stability measures showed the highest mean values in the osseodensified side over the self-tapping, revealing a statistical significance between both groups (p ≤ 0.05)
Conclusion: Osseodensification provides better implant stability in maxillary arches improving the chances for immediate loading.
Key words: Implants, Immediate loading, All-on-four, osseodensification, fixed detachable restorations.
Running title: Effect of osseodensification on immediately loaded maxillary fixed detachable restorations.