Monday, 23 March 2026

Survival and Complications of Impacted Teeth Versus Immediate Post-Extraction Implants: A Comparative Review | Chapter 8 | Medical Science: Updates and Prospects Vol. 6

 

Dental implant therapy increasingly emphasises shortening treatment time and minimising surgical morbidity while maintaining long-term biological stability and esthetic integration. Two approaches that aim to reduce or avoid extensive hard-tissue surgery are (i) implant placement through impacted teeth or retained dental tissues (hereafter, “transdental” placement) and (ii) immediate post-extraction implant placement in fresh sockets. Implant placement through impacted teeth generally describes preparing an osteotomy that passes through the enamel and/or dentin of an impacted tooth that remains in situ, followed by insertion of an implant along that trajectory. On the other hand, immediate implant placement refers to inserting an implant into a fresh extraction socket during the same surgical session as tooth removal. Although both strategies may reduce the number of surgical stages compared with conventional delayed placement, they arise from different clinical problems: transdental placement is typically considered when an impacted tooth obstructs the ideal implant trajectory and surgical removal would create substantial defects, whereas immediate placement addresses replacement of a failing or hopeless tooth at the time of extraction.

 

This narrative review synthesises contemporary evidence on survival, marginal bone loss, and complications for each approach, and interprets these outcomes through a biological and risk-management lens. A structured literature search was conducted on major biomedical databases using predefined keywords related to transdental and immediate implant placement.  Current human data indicate that implants placed through impacted teeth can achieve high short- to medium-term stability in carefully selected cases, but the evidence base remains dominated by small case series and heterogeneous follow-up. Immediate post-extraction implants demonstrate high overall survival in systematic reviews and randomised trials, though slightly lower survival than delayed protocols have been reported in some meta-analyses, and esthetic complications remain a key concern in thin phenotypes or compromised sockets.

 

Across both approaches, outcomes appear highly dependent on case selection, meticulous imaging-based planning, primary stability, infection control, and soft-tissue management. Robust comparative studies with standardised radiographic and patient-reported outcomes are needed before transdental placement can be recommended beyond narrowly defined indications. A significant research gap exists in the transdental field due to the absence of well-designed prospective trials, standardised outcome reporting, and long-term comparative data. Future research should prioritise prospective multicentre studies and registries with standardised reporting of implant systems, surgical protocols, radiographic assessment methods, and patient-reported outcomes to enable meaningful comparison and evidence-based clinical recommendations. Standardisation of outcomes is also recommended.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Bhushan Krishna Chalmela
Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ghati Hospital Campus, Panchakki Road, Maharashtra-431001, India.

 

Ulhas Tandale
Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ghati Hospital Campus, Panchakki Road, Maharashtra -431001, India.

 

Kishor Mahale
Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ghati Hospital Campus, Panchakki Road, Maharashtra -431001, India.

 

Smita Khalikar
Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ghati Hospital Campus, Panchakki Road, Maharashtra -431001, India.

 

Vilas Rajguru
Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ghati Hospital Campus, Panchakki Road, Maharashtra -431001, India.

 

Sonali Mahajan
Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ghati Hospital Campus, Panchakki Road, Maharashtra -431001, India.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/msup/v6/7130

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