Comparison of bone loss around submerged and non-submerged implants during osseointegration phase.

Background: In Modern dentistry, the implant is the most popular and desirable management of tooth loss. Traditionally two stage (submerged) or one-stage (non-submerged) system has been added by many investigators. In the present study we evaluated the crestal bone loss during osseointegration phase among the three groups (i.e. submerged implants, non-submerged implants with anatomical healing abutment and non- submerged implants with esthetic healing abutment).

Material and methods: 10 subjects with 30 implants, were enrolled in the study. Subjects were randomized in three groups i.e., group 1 submerged (n=10), group 2 non-submerged with anatomical healing abutment (n=10), group 3 non submerged with esthetic healing abutments (n=10). Intraoral periapical radiograph (IOPA), IMAGE J software and CBCT were used to evaluate the crestal bone loss around each implant at baseline, 1 and 3 months after implant placement.

Results: Crestal bone loss at the end of the 3months (osseointegration phase) was lowest in the submerged group (0.18+-0.06mm) followed by non-submerged esthetic group (0.21+-0.03mm) but it was statistically insignificant. Maximum amount of bone loss was observed in non-submerged anatomical abutment group (0.34+-0.03mm) which was highly significant.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that submerged implants technique is a better option in comparison to non-submerged implant technique in terms of radiographical performance during initial phases of osseointegration.