Factors Influencing Immediate Maxillary Dental Implant Placement and Bone Resorption: A Review of the Literature and an Outlook on the Clinical Possibilities

The insertion of dental implants immediately after teeth extractions has become a routine clinical procedure in implant dentistry, despite difficulties derived from several factors influencing bone resorption. The aim of this study is to evaluate the survival rate of implant positioned immediately after tooth extraction in the upper maxilla and to analyze the surgical techniques and the parameters to minimize physiological bone resorption. An electronic search in MEDLINE (PubMed) and the Cochrane library was performed to analyze the factors that may influence physiological bone resorption during immediate implant placement: surgical technique, position of the implant and bone grafting. Immediate implant placement is a predictable technique with a high success rate. It does not prevent bone resorption subsequent to tooth extraction, but there are some parameters to take into account to minimize the bone resorption itself. Despite the high survival rate, more long-term studies are necessary to evaluate the success of implants placed immediately into fresh extraction sockets in the upper maxillary. Special attention has to be given to aesthetic outcomes