Soft-Tissue Management Dental Implants with Digitally Customized Healing Abutments: A Pilot Study

oleh: Maurizio De Francesco, Elisabetta Ferrara, Francesco Inchingolo, Grazieli Dalmaschio, Alberto Pispero, Angelo Michele Inchingolo, Gianna Dipalma, Tiziano Testori, Gianluca Martino Tartaglia, Biagio Rapone

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-06-01

Deskripsi

Background: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of digitally crafted customized healing abutments in stabilizing peri-implant soft tissues following tooth extraction and assess the preservation of peri-implant soft tissue architecture over 5 years. Material and Methods: Forty patients (age ≥ 25 years) were divided into test (<i>n</i> = 20) and control (<i>n</i> = 20) groups. The test group received dental implants with immediate loading after tooth extraction, along with customized healing abutments fabricated using CAD/CAM technology. The control group received dental implants with immediate loading without customized healing abutments. The primary outcome was the change in distance between the peri-implant soft tissue margin and implant fixture surface from baseline to 5 years post implantation. Results: In the test group, there was a significant decrease in the distance between the peri-implant soft tissue margin and fixture surface from baseline to 5 years (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with pairwise comparisons showing significant differences between multiple time points (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The control group showed less pronounced changes over time. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this pilot study, digitally fabricated customized healing abutments appear effective in stabilizing peri-implant soft tissues and preserving soft tissue architecture around dental implants over 5 years following immediate implant placement. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.