A study of 589 consecutive implants supporting complete fixed prostheses. Part I: Periodontal aspects.

Ninety-one consecutive edentulous patients who had been treated by means of fixed prostheses (n = 103) supported by Brånemark implants (n = 589) were examined. Eighteen fixtures (3%) failed to integrate. After a mean loading time of 32 (range 6 to 80) and 38 months (range 5 to 83) for fixtures in the maxilla and mandible, respectively, an additional 12 fixtures lost integration. The cumulative failure rate for individual fixtures after 6 years was 8.4% and 5% for maxillae and mandibles, respectively. Only one patient had to revert to complete dentures. For fixtures in the maxillae, the mean marginal bone loss was 0.7, 0.1, and 0.2 mm for each of the first 3 years of loading, respectively; for fixtures in mandibles, the corresponding values were 0.7, 0.2, and 0.1 mm. The loss in marginal bone height was equal in both jaws and was not related to bleeding on probing or to the preoperative resorption anatomy.