Long-Term Bone Dimensional Changes Following Flapless Immediate Implant Placement

September 4, 2026 updated by: International Dental Contiuing Education

Long-Term Bone Dimensional Changes Following Flapless Immediate Implant Placement With or Without Bone Grafting: A 5 Years Follow up of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Nowadays, achieving long-term hard tissue stability is the definitive goal of a successful immediate implant placement and has become the optimal challenge for clinicians over the past few decades. It is wellestablished that the dimensional changes and remodeling of the alveolar ridge represent a physiologic sequela of tooth extraction and is inevitable especially the labial bone wall. This creates an unfavorable labio-palatal discrepancy and produces the "fixture-socket gap" around the coronal portion of the implant, known as the labial gap especially in sockets with thin bone.Although this gap has the potential to repair spontaneously in some cases, still previous studies reported that this gap cannot be completely filled without using a regenerative material. It has been claimed that buccal/labial gap augmentation contributes to the final esthetic success of the dental implant, where the regenerative material acts as a scaffold to maintain the blood clot, promote bone formation, compensate for the postextraction socket remodeling and maintain the buccal bone thickness and thereby preventing the buccal contour collapse. Nevertheless, this would add an additional cost and prolong the surgical procedure. Meanwhile, there is a controversy in the existing literature regarding the actual benefit of using bone grafts in the buccal gap. Previous systematic reviews concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that immediate implant placement with grafting the labial gap, would comprise an additional benefit in preventing alveolar ridge reduction and contour collapse. Furthermore, previous controlled clinical trials reported that evidence for this additional treatment is still unclear.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Patients who completed the initial trial and received a single immediate implant in a fresh extraction socket would be invited for reassessment at 5 years after implant placement. The intervention group would comprise patients treated with flapless immediate implant placement combined with grafting of the peri-implant gap using the same bone-substitute material and protocol applied in the original study, while the control group would comprise patients treated with flapless immediate implant placement without bone grafting. The primary outcome would be the change in peri-implant marginal bone level and three-dimensional alveolar ridge dimensions, assessed by standardized periapical radiographs and, where ethically and clinically justified, limited-field cone-beam computed tomography, compared with baseline and the earlier follow-up measurements. Secondary outcomes would include implant survival and success, peri-implant probing depth, bleeding on probing, plaque accumulation, mucosal recession, width of keratinized mucosa, facial soft-tissue profile, biological complications, prosthetic complications, patient satisfaction, and esthetic outcomes. Assessments should be performed by calibrated, blinded examiners using standardized imaging and clinical protocols. The study would analyze all eligible participants according to their original randomized allocation, report reasons for loss to follow-up, and compare the long-term dimensional stability and clinical performance of grafted versus nongrafted sites. The principal hypothesis would be that bone grafting may reduce long-term horizontal ridge resorption and improve preservation of the facial contour without adversely affecting implant survival or peri-implant health over the 5-year observation period.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Cairo, Egypt
        • International Dental Continuing Education (IDCE) Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult (>20 years) with nonrestorable maxillary teeth in the esthetic zone, thick gingival phenotype, intact but thin labial plate of bone extending 7 mm (≤1 mm) and intact palatal bone extending at least 6 mm apically, sufficient apical bone to attain implant primary stability (a minimum of 35 N cm insertion torque) and labio-palatal socket dimension measured from the CBCT axial cut at mid-crestal part ≥5 mm.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Smokers, pregnant women, patients with systemic disease, patients with parafunctional habits such as bruxism or clenching, infected socket, periapical pathosis and history of radiotherapy or chemotherapy within the past 2 years.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: IIP + Bone graft + CHA
For patients assigned to receive a graft, demineralized bovine bone graft (Bio-Oss, Geistlich Pharma AG, Wolhusen, Switzerland) was placed in the gap labial to the implant to the level of the implant platform.
Procedure: IIP+Bone graft + CHA
A tapered screw-vent bone level implant (Zimmer implant TSV, IN, USA) was inserted into the extraction socket in a flapless manner, engaging 3-4 mm of the sound intact apical and palatal bone to achieve primary stability using the motor and manual torque wrench which was set to be at least 35 N cm to allow nonfunctional immediate loading. The implant platform was located 1.5 mm subcrestal or equicrestal to the labial bone and the implant diameter was selected to leave a labial gap of at least 1.5 mm. Following implant placement, randomization sequence with allocation to either graft or no graft group was revealed. For patients assigned to receive a graft, demineralized bovine bone graft (Bio-Oss, Geistlich Pharma AG, Wolhusen, Switzerland) was placed in the gap labial to the implant to the level of the implant platform.
Experimental: IIP + CHA only
A tapered screw-vent bone level implant (Zimmer implant TSV, IN, USA) was inserted into the extraction socket in a flapless manner, engaging mm of the sound intact apical and palatal bone to achieve primary stability using the motor and manual torque wrench which was set to be at least 35 N cm to allow nonfunctional immediate loading. The implant platform was located 1.5 mm subcrestal or equicrestal to the labial bone and the implant diameter was selected to leave a labial gap of at least 1.5 mm. Following implant placement, patients received an immediate anatomical customized healing abutment fabricated by adding flowable composite to the temporary cylindrical abutment mimicking the shape of the socket at the marginal gingiva (Filtek™ Supreme Ultra Flowable Restorative, 3M Corporate Headquarters, MN, USA). It was then screwed to the implant
Procedure: IIP +CHA only
A tapered screw-vent bone level implant (Zimmer implant TSV, IN, USA) was inserted into the extraction socket in a flapless manner, engaging 3-4 mm of the sound intact apical and palatal bone to achieve primary stability using the motor and manual torque wrench which was set to be at least 35 N cm to allow nonfunctional immediate loading. The implant platform was located 1.5 mm subcrestal or equicrestal to the labial bone and the implant diameter was selected to leave a labial gap of at least 1.5 mm. Following implant placement, randomization sequence with allocation to either graft or no graft group was revealed. For patients assigned to receive no graft an immediate anatomical customized healing abutment fabricated by adding flowable composite to the temporary cylindrical abutment mimicking the mimicking the shape of the socket at the marginal gingiva was screwed to the implant

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Labial bone formed labial to the implant
Time Frame: 5 years follow up
Measure using the CBCT, the amount of bone formed labial to the implant
5 years follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
International Dental Contiuing Education

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IDCE-4292026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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