Radiographic evaluation of crestal bone levels adjacent to nonsubmerged titanium implants.

Several parameters have been described to determine success or failure in long-term evaluations of dental implants. One of these parameters is the observation of changes in peri-implant bone levels. Studies on submerged implants have analyzed the bone level changes in the pre- and post-loading phases. No such data exist for intentionally nonsubmerged implants. The purposes of this study were: (1) to test the applicability and reproducibility of a simple computer-assisted method in the evaluation of changes in peri-implant bone levels; (2) to establish a baseline for the longterm radiographic follow-up; and (3) to evaluate changes in crestal bone levels adjacent to nonsubmerged ITI implants between the 1-year and 2-year examination. Standardized periapical radiographs were obtained from 80 implants at the 1-year and 2-year follow-up examinations after their placement. The implants were located in different jaw areas of 55 patients and supported single crowns or short-span fixed partial dentures. For each implant, the distance from implant shoulder to first crestal bone contact (DIB) was measured at the proximal surfaces with a digitizer/computer assembly. Statistically significant greater mean DIB were found at the 1-year (baseline) evaluation for: (1) maxillary sites overall (4.10 x 1.02 mm (SD)) compared with mandibular sites overall (3.61 +/- 1.03 mm); (2) maxillary anterior sites (4.08 +/- 0.97 mm) compared with mandibular posterior sites (3.60 +/- 1.05 mm); and (3) maxillary posterior sites (4.13 +/- 1.12 mm) compared with mandibular posterior sites. No statistically significant changes in DIB occurred in any of the jaw locations between the 1-year and 2-year evaluations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)