3-Year Bone Remodeling in Mandibular Overdenture Wearers: Results from an RCT Comparing Immediate vs Conventional Loading Using CBCT.

This article reports on a randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating circumferential bone level changes and posterior mandibular ridge morphology in edentulous patients wearing mandibular overdentures retained by two narrow-diameter implants (NDIs). Participants were assigned to either immediate loading (IL) or conventional loading (CL) groups, with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) assessments conducted at 1 and 3 years post-implant placement. The IL group exhibited slightly greater vertical and horizontal bone loss around implants at 1 and 3 years, along with a higher percentage of cortical bone replacing medullary bone in the anterior posterior mandibular region, but overall bone levels remained clinically acceptable and posterior ridge remodeling was stable regardless of loading protocol. The study concludes that both loading methods maintain alveolar ridge preservation over three years, though longer-term studies are needed to confirm these findings.