Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of early implant loading by observation of the implant stability of early-loaded ITI implants using resonance frequency analysis (RFA).
Methods: 104 ITI SLA implants in 50 patients were randomly divided into 2 groups according to different loading time. In the experimental group, plants were loaded 6 weeks after surgery; in the control group, implants were loaded 12 weeks after installation. RFA was taken at 0,1,4,6,8,12 weeks after surgery for implants in both groups to get ISQ(implant stability quotient) values.Student's t test was used to calculate P values for ISQ at all time points by Minitab Release 14.13.
Results: No implant failed within the 12 weeks. No significant difference in ISQ values was found between the two groups at all time points(P>0.05).The 2 groups had the same changing mode of ISQ: a relatively high primary stability, a decrease from 1 to 4 weeks, a consequent increase after 6 weeks and a relative stability or a slight increase afterwards. The survival rate for both group during the 6 months follow-up is 100%.
Conclusions: Early loading of ITI SLA implant should be predictable.