Alveolar Bone Remodeling Around Immediate Implants Placed in Accordance With the Extraction Socket Classification: A Three-Dimensional Microcomputed Tomography Analysis

Background: Previous studies assessed bone remodeling after a single tooth extraction; however, the effect of multiple contiguous teeth extractions around immediate implant remains unknown. The aim of this microcomputed tomographic investigation is to analyze the alveolar bone remodeling around immediate implants placed in accordance with the extraction socket classification (ESC). Methods: Under general anesthesia, 10 beagle dogs underwent atraumatic tooth extractions. Animals were randomly divided into three groups, with 16 sites per group: 1) ESC-1, single tooth extraction; 2) ESC-2, two contiguous teeth extraction; and 3) ESC-3, more than two contiguous teeth extractions. Immediate implants were inserted in each socket, and postoperative plaque control measures were undertaken. After euthanasia, the jaw segments were evaluated for bone thickness, marginal bone loss (MBL), and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) using microcomputed tomography. Results: The mean buccal bone thickness (P<0.05) and MBL (P<0.05) was compromised in jaws in ESC-3 compared to those in ESC-1 and ESC-2. The BIC was significantly higher among jaws in ESC-1 compared to those in ESC-2 and ESC-3 (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the buccal bone thickness, MBL, and BIC among the groups in the maxilla and mandible. Lingual bone remodeling did not reveal any significant differences among the groups in either jaw. Conclusion: Buccal bone remodeling is significantly more extensive around immediate implants placed in multiple contiguous tooth extraction sites compared to immediate implants placed in single tooth extraction sites. J Periodontol 2012;83:981-987.