Implant Placement and Loading Protocols in Partially Edentulous Patients: Findings from the 6th ITI Consensus Conference
Implant placement protocols have been extensively research and reviewed in an effort to determine the most efficient and predictable pathway for implant therapy following tooth extraction. The timing of implant placement is directly linked to physiological process of wound healing and ridge alterations following tooth extraction. Similarly implant loading protocols have been evaluated to determine when is the safest time to restore an implant and provide occlusal loading. Similar physiological processes also dictate the osseointegration process and concepts related to primary and secondary implant stability. However, it is imperative to understand the relationship between implant placement and loading protocols.
This lecture will discuss the evolution of implant placement and loading protocols. A new classification which redefines the concepts of implant placement and loading protocols and recognizes that the two processes are co-dependent variables of each other will also be reviewed. The classification will be presented with in a clinical and evidenced-based approach to the advantages and disadvantages of each with a focus on the findings of the 6th ITI Consensus Conference.
Learning objectives:
- Introduce a new classification and paradigm for Implant Placement and Loading protocols
- Discuss the various implant placement and loading protocols for partially edentulous patients and the supporting evidence behind each