Early complications and quality of life in patients with immediately loaded implant-supported maxillary partial rehabilitations: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Immediate loading of dental implants is considered an excellent option to reestablish function and aesthetics in a short period of time, thereby reducing the psychological impact of edentulism. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of complications in immediately loaded implant-supported single or partial maxillary provisional rehabilitations; to assess changes in patient quality of life (QoL); to evaluate patient overall satisfaction; and to determine whether the occurrence of complications affects these outcomes.

Material and methods: Patients requiring partial rehabilitation with implants in the maxilla were included in a prospective cohort study. In all cases, implant-based restoration with an immediate loading protocol was indicated. A provisional restoration was placed within 72 hours after implant placement. Patient QoL was measured at the first appointment and just before placing the final restoration, using two validated questionnaires. All mechanical and biological complications occurring up until placement of the final restoration were documented. A descriptive and bivariate analysis of the data was performed.

Results: Thirty-five patients with 40 prostheses supported by 60 implants were analyzed. Three implant failures were observed, yielding a 95% survival rate. Five provisional prosthesis fractures and two prosthetic screw loosenings were recorded in four patients. A significant reduction in OHIP-14 score was observed. Likewise, significant differences were found in the results of the QoLFAST-10, with a mean difference in score of 7.3 between the initial and final evaluation.

Conclusions: Patients receiving immediately loaded implant-supported single or partial maxillary provisional rehabilitations seem to have a low risk of developing early mechanical (13.3%) or biological complications (5%). These patients appear to experience significant improvement in QoL and report excellent overall satisfaction with the treatment received - though the occurrence of complications seems to affect these outcomes.