A comparative study of the effectiveness of early and delayed loading of short tissue-level dental implants with hydrophilic surfaces placed in the posterior section of the mandible-A preliminary study

The objective of the present study was to compare the primary and secondary stability of tissue-level short dental titanium implants with polished necks and hydrophilic surfaces of two different designs and manufacturers. The first implant system used (SPI®ELEMENT RC INICELL titanium implants, Thommen Medical AG, Grenchen, Switzerland), allowed functional loading 6 weeks after its placement, whereas the second implant system (RN SLActiv® tissue-level titanium implants, Straumann GmbH, Fribourg, Germany), was loaded after 15 weeks. The degree of primary and secondary stability was determined using an Osstell ISQ measuring device. Marginal bone loss (MBL) was evaluated radiographically 12 and 24 weeks after implantation and the Wachtel's healing index as well as the patient's satisfaction with the treatment was registered on a VAS scale. The intergroup comparison revealed significant differences in terms of primary stability as well as differences in MBL 3 months after the procedure, but no significant differences could be found after 6 months and for secondary stability. The primary stability was significantly higher for Thommen® compared to Straumann® implants. Insertion of short dental implants with a hydrophilic conditioned surface significantly shortens patient treatment time.