Soft tissue preservation and crestal bone loss around single-tooth implants.

Maintenance of interdental soft tissue and the need for esthetics are being increasingly recognized as important criteria for implant success. Statistically significant correlations have been found between the incidence of implant failure and vertical bone loss adjacent to implants. Thus, it is widely recognized that peri-implant bone resorption before loading may compromise implant success. This study aims to evaluate the effect of flap elevation on peri-implant bone loss during the healing period. Twenty sites around 10 implants were included in the study, and the effect of 2 different flap designs on the crestal height of bone was evaluated. The results of the study have shown that flap elevation can lead to increased bone loss during the healing period, with statistically significant results up to the 90-day period.