Follow-up of interleukin-1β and neutrophil elastase concentrations in initial wound healing after immediate implant placement in comparison to second stage surgery

The aim of this study was to compare selected crevicular markers in early wound healing after second stage surgery and immediately restored implant placement.

A total of ten patients (mean age 53 years, 6 females and 4 males) to be treated with all together 20 single tooth implants were enrolled in the study. In 9 cases a second stage surgery after conventional submerged implant healing was performed, in the remaining 11 cases immediate implants were planned prior to tooth extraction. Beginning 1 day after implant installation and provisional restoration according to the copy abutment technique and 1 day after healing abutment insertion, respectively, peri-implant crevicular fluid samples (PICF) were collected, the PICF flow rate was recorded and laboratory assays performed for the assessment of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and neutrophil elastase (NPE) concentrations (T1). Follow-up intervals were scheduled 1–3 weeks postoperatively (T2–4). Statistical analyses included explorative data analysis and median statistics (Wilcoxon test).

Wound healing was uneventful in all cases and the concentrations of IL-1β and NPE remained stable over the entire observation period. Standard deviations and medians for IL-1β were higher in the second stage implant group with statistically significant differences in the concentrations on T2 and T4. No differences were found for NPE.

The small sample size of this pilot investigation requires careful interpretation of the data presented. Within the limitations of this study it may be concluded that both immediately placed implants and implants at second stage surgery show similar patterns of wound healing with regard to selected markers of peri-implant disease, with minor differences in IL-1β concentrations on follow-up in favor of immediate implantation and restoration.