Prospective cohort study to evaluate narrow diameter implants for the restoration of a missing maxillary lateral incisor in patients with a cleft palate: Five-year results

The maxillary lateral incisor is often congenitally missing in patients with a cleft palate. The congenital cleft presents the practitioner with challenges including quantity and quality of bone, a surgically managed cleft correction, and limited clinical space. The purpose of this investigation was to calculate the 5-year success and survival rate of narrow-diameter implants used to restore a missing lateral incisor in patients with a cleft palate. Fourteen study participants with a cleft palate and a missing maxillary lateral incisor were enrolled based on established criteria. Seventeen narrow-diameter implants (AstraTech OsseoSpeed 3.0S and OsseoSpeed TX 3.5 mm) were placed using a 2-stage protocol and restored with a custom titanium abutment and a cement-retained crown. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed annually for 5 years. Four probe depth measurements were measured and evaluated using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons tests. Radiographic marginal bone loss was measured annually using a digital subtraction technique and evaluated with ANCOVA, and the least square mean was derived. The restoration was evaluated using Pink (PES) and White (WES) Esthetic scores. Regarding probing depth measurements, a significant variance was found between the 4 locations (P