Treatment outcomes of early functional loading of a Toronto prosthesis after placement of postextractive dental implants : a case report

Aim: To report a case of early functional loading of a Toronto prosthesis after the placement of postextractive implants, analyzing aesthetic and functional outcomes; moreover an investigation of the recent literature is performed about the outcomes of immediately loaded Toronto prostheses, in order to provide information about success rates of this treatment and to define remaining questions for future research. Materials and methods: A case of immediate functional loading of a Toronto prosthesis after the placement of dental implants is reported. Teeth extractions and dental implants positioning were performed at the same time. The prosthetic procedures with dental implants loading have been completed after 24 hours. Results: The 18 months follow up radiograph showed no bone loss around the implants and the patient was satisfied with both the aesthetic and functional conditions. Clinical trials show that the respective overall implant survival and success rates are influenced by implant design, surface characteristic, bone properties, implant area placement (upper or lower jaw) and postextraction conditions. Before early loading of dental implants for Toronto prostheses all these parameters have to be considered. Conclusion: This case report and the literature review confirm that the influence of timing of loading on implant survival is rather debated. There are not yet clinical guidelines in order to obtain predictable results, though factors such as bone quality and post-extraction conditions should be analyzed before treatment. Future researches should analyze how immediate loading can influence the implant rehabilitation success.