Multicenter Clinical Study on the Efficacy and Esthetic Outcomes of Immediate Implant Placement Using the Socket-Shield Technique Versus Conventional Immediate Implantation in the Anterior Maxillary Esthetic Zone

September 11, 2026 updated by: Xi Ding, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University
This study plans to enroll no fewer than 48 adult patients who have non-restorable maxillary anterior teeth due to trauma or dental diseases and are candidates for immediate implant placement, meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

This is a prospective, multicenter, parallel-group, evaluator-blinded randomized controlled trial.It aims to compare the Socket Shield Technique (SST) with conventional immediate implant placement (IIP) in the maxillary anterior aesthetic zone, evaluating labial bone plate thickness, implant survival/success rates, pink aesthetics, and patient satisfaction to assess their clinical efficacy and aesthetic outcomes.

Eligible participants will provide informed consent and be randomly assigned to groups via center-stratified randomization.

Primary endpoint: Changes in buccal bone plate thickness at the implant shoulder and at 2, 4, and 6 mm apically at 6 months after prosthetic restoration (T3).

Secondary endpoints: Implant survival and success rates; changes in buccal bone volume; changes in soft tissue contour convexity; Pink Esthetic Score (PES); patient satisfaction; operative time, pain levels, and treatment-related parameters.

Safety endpoints: Intraoperative and postoperative adverse events, including infection, bleeding, wound dehiscence, implant loosening, peri-implantitis, shield fragment displacement/exposure/dislodgement, need for reoperation, and other serious adverse events (SAEs).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

48

Phase

  • 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 Contact

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age: 18 to 65 years old;

    • Good general health, able to tolerate oral implant surgery, with no absolute surgical contraindications (ASA I or II);

      • Clinical diagnosis of an unrestorable maxillary anterior tooth, suitable for immediate implant placement; ④ Periodontal tissues are basically healthy, with no obvious active infection in the apical area; ⑤ No obvious root fracture on the labial/buccal side or severe mobility preoperatively; radiographic evaluation confirms that the bone volume in the surgical site meets the requirements of the protocol; ⑥ Willing to accept randomization and standardized follow-up, and has signed the Informed Consent Form; ⑦ Able to provide complete intraoral photographs, CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) scans, and follow-up data.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of severe systemic diseases that may affect the surgery or healing, or current use of related medications such as bisphosphonates;

    • Severe periodontal disease or uncontrolled poor oral hygiene;

      • Obvious inflammation in the apical area of the affected tooth, or pathological root resorption; ④ Abnormal occlusal relationship, obvious bruxism, or inability to establish a stable restorative occlusion;

        • Pregnancy or lactation, or unsuitability for radiographic examination; ⑥ History of previous surgery or radiotherapy affecting the bone volume or soft tissues in the target area, which the investigator deems would seriously interfere with the evaluation; ⑦ Expected inability to complete the follow-up, or refusal to comply with the study requirements.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: the Socket Shield Technique (SST)
the Socket Shield Technique (SST) immediate implant placement

During tooth extraction, a stable buccal root fragment (shield) is preserved. The specific procedures are as follows:

Minimally invasively extract the crown of the affected tooth, preserving a buccal root fragment approximately 1-2 mm in thickness; Adjust the coronal aspect of the root fragment to approximately 2 mm apical to the gingival margin, ensuring a rounded and blunt coronal edge that is flush with the alveolar crest; Maintain the integrity of the buccal bone plate without any fractures;

Other Names:
  • Group SST
Active Comparator: conventional immediate implant placement (IIP)

Completely remove the root of the affected tooth and complete the procedure according to the conventional immediate implant placement protocol:

Minimally invasively extract the affected tooth (complete root extraction); Place the implant within the extraction socket (biased toward the palatal side); Fill the jump gap with a low-resorption xenogeneic bone substitute material; Perform soft and hard tissue management according to the conventional immediate implant placement SOP.

Other Names:
  • Group IIP

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Thickness of the labial bone plate
Time Frame: 6 months after the restoration (T3)
The changes in the thickness of the labial bone plate at the implant shoulder and 2, 4, and 6 mm below
6 months after the restoration (T3)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Implant retention and success rate
Time Frame: 3, 6,12 ,24 and 36 months after the operaiton
3, 6,12 ,24 and 36 months after the operaiton
Volume change of the labial bone plate
Time Frame: 6 months after the crown restoration was completed
6 months after the crown restoration was completed
Change in the contour curvature of soft tissues
Time Frame: 6 months after the crown restoration was completed
6 months after the crown restoration was completed
Pink Aesthetic Score (PES)
Time Frame: 6 months after the crown restoration was completed
6 months after the crown restoration was completed
Patients' satisfaction degree
Time Frame: On the day after the surgery, the day of crown restoration completion, and 6 months after the restoration was completed
On the day after the surgery, the day of crown restoration completion, and 6 months after the restoration was completed

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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)

January 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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