New directions in surgical endodontics; immediate implantation into an extraction site.

Endodontic surgical procedures may reveal compromising factors that indicate a modification of the treatment (e.g. tooth extraction, root amputation, etc.). To take advantage of the osseous height and width, as well as the natural tooth angulation, immediate placement of implants after extraction is a reasonable alternative treatment. In this study, 32 titanium alloy implants were inserted immediately after extraction of teeth diagnosed during endodontic surgery as having root fractures, perforations, or endodontic-periodontal complications. After 4 to 6 months of osseointegration, only one implant failed to integrate, and the remaining implants were prosthetically restored. Sixteen months after occlusal loading, bone loss was approximately 1.5 mm for the 31 implants remaining. It seems that the immediate placement of implants following tooth extraction due to endodontic complications is a reliable procedure.