Immediate Loading of Fixed Prostheses in Fully Edentulous Jaws: A 7-Year Follow-Up from a Single-Cohort Retrospective Study

The aim of this retrospective single-cohort study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of four-to-five implants immediately restored with metal-resin screw-retained cross-arch fixed prostheses in edentulous jaws 10 years after loading. One-hundred-and-four consecutive patients received four to five implants placed with a torque superior 35 Ncm. One-hundred-and-twenty-seven metal-resin screw-retained fixed prostheses (59 mandibular and 68 maxillary) were to be delivered within 3 days. Outcome measures, evaluated by the treating clinician, were: prosthesis and implant failures, prosthetic modifications, peri-implant mucositis, and biological and prosthetic complications. A total of 549 implants were placed. Twenty-one implants failed in 14 patients and 102 prostheses were remade, at least once, in 81 patients: 2 due to implant failures and 33 because of fractures of the prostheses. In particular, 25 original metal-resin prostheses had to be remade because of fractures versus only eight of the replacement monolithic metal-resin prostheses. All patients were wearing fixed prostheses at the end of the follow-up. Thirty-six biological complications occurred in 22 patients. Eighty-six prosthetic complications occurred in 42 patients. In conclusion, immediately loaded cross-arch prostheses supported by four-to-five immediately placed implants are a viable therapeutic option if robust prostheses are made.