Immediate Loading of Dental Implants: Review of the Literature

Abstract

This study was conducted with the objective of examining and elaborating on the latest trends in the immediate loading of dental implants. It reviewed the materials and different techniques employed in immediate/early loading of implants in studies published since 2008. Articles were selected on the basis of a PubMed search that included controlled clinical studies of immediate loading of dental implants from the year 2008 onward. The inclusion criteria were a minimum of 10 patients in each group and a clinical follow-up period of at least 1 year. The technique of immediately loaded implants has become more predictable; researchers are exploring novel ways of employing the technique with fewer implants, zygomatic implants, and surface modification of implants. The prosthetic phase of immediate loading also has been simplified. In particular, the results of immediate loading in the maxilla have become more predictable and the selection criteria of patients and location for immediate loading have become more liberal, as envisaged in this review.