Post-traumatic use of dental implants to rehabilitate anterior maxillary teeth.

The treatment sequel of post-traumatic teeth for the use of dental implants in the anterior maxillary region to rehabilitate anterior maxillary missing teeth was evaluated. Files of 53 healthy patients reporting anterior dental trauma were reviewed. All patients had an anterior maxillary dental implant because of tooth loss after trauma. At initial examination, 18 patients (34%) had root canal treatment and an inflammatory lesion, 15 (28.3%) had a missing tooth on admission, 12 (22.6%) had a prior operation (i.e. root-end surgery or crown lengthening), 4 (7.5%) presented an ankylotic root, and 4 (7.5%) had a root remnant not suitable for rehabilitation, with no inflammatory periapical lesion. Treatment sequences and complications were recorded. Augmentation procedure (i.e. onlay bone graft or guided bone regeneration) was performed in 43 patients (81.1%), and 2 patients (3.8%) had orthodontic extrusion prior to tooth extraction and implantation. Implants were placed immediately in 25 patients (47.2%) and 4 (7.5%) had immediate loading at the time of implantation. Complications and postoperative incidents (fistula, inflammation, swelling hematoma, etc.) were observed in 24 patients (45.3%). There was no difference in complication and postoperative incident rates with regards to the implantation technique. Complications were found at the prosthetic phase in seven patients (13.2%; six fistula and one implant failure). When patients were divided into two groups, with and without an inflammatory lesion, a significantly lower complication and postoperative incident rate were found in the non-inflammatory group (P = 0.057). This study reaffirmed the necessity for scrupulous diagnosis of teeth and alveolar bone after a traumatic injury. Treatment is multidisciplinary, requiring surgical, orthodontic, endodontic, operative, and prosthetic compliance. A specially designed treatment plan for each patient is necessary. General rules do not apply.