Clinico-Radiographic Evaluation Of Peri-Implant Soft Tissues And Hard Tissues In Immediate And Delayed Cases: A Comparative Prospective Study

Aims To compare the clinical, and radiographic results of immediate versus delayed implant placement within the aesthetic zone of the maxilla.

Materials and methods In the maxillary aesthetic zone, a sum of 20 implant sites were selected, with 10 in the immediate implant group and 10 in the delayed implant group. Atraumatic extraction was carried out with a periotome in immediate group. After prepping the osteotomy site, the selected implants were placed in both groups. Soft and hard tissue parameters were assessed in both groups after 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months following the surgical procedure. The aesthetic outcome was evaluated using implant aesthetic score (IES), while Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) was employed to measure the loss of crestal bone around implants.

Results At follow-up, both groups had acceptable implant esthetic score. However, the immediate implant group exhibited significantly higher scores compared to the delayed implant group (P<0.05). A significant difference was noted (P<0.001) in mean peri-implant crestal bone loss at buccal site, with the immediate implant group exhibiting a higher value (1.41 ± 0.15) compared to the delayed implant group (1.15 ± 0.12). There was no significant difference in peri-implant bone loss observed at the palatal, mesial, and distal sites (P>0.05).

Conclusions The immediate implants had better aesthetic outcome regarding soft tissue changes around the implant site. At the buccal site, the delayed implant group exhibited a reduced amount of crestal bone resorption compared to the immediate implant group.