Prospective Multicenter Study on Immediate Rehabilitation of Edentulous Lower Jaws According to the Briinemark Novum@ Protocol z Patrick J. Henry, BDSc, MSD;* Daniel van Steenberghe, MD, PhD, Dr (Hc), HFACS (Dublin);? Ulf Blomback, DDS;* Giovanni Polizzi, MD, DDS;§ Ruben Rosenberg, DDS;$ Joan Pi Urgell, MD, DDS;’ Inger Wendelhag, PhD** zyxwv ABSTRACT zyxwvutsrqpo Background: During recent years a new treatment concept, Brinemark Novum@, has been developed in which implants are inserted in the edentulous lower jaw and immediately connected to a prefabricated titanium bar. A fixed prosthesis is then attached to the bar during or immediately following surgery. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the application of this concept under various settings, to deter- mine technique sensitivity, and to evaluate the clinical outcome after 1 year of follow-up. Muterials and Methods: Fifty-one patients were included in a prospective multicenter investigation and followed up for 1 year. Cumulative implant survival rates were evaluated by life table analysis. In addition, clinical comparisons were per- formed to evaluate implant loss in relation to patient characteristics. Questionnaires were used to evaluate the treatment protocols and to obtain patients’ opinions. Results: The prosthetic treatment was completed on the same or the following day in 76% of the patients. The cumulative implant survival rates for implants and prostheses were 91% and 94%, respectively, after 12 months. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that single-stage surgery and immediate loading of implants with prefabri- cated bridgework in the mandible can result in high implant success and significant reduction in treatment time, with patient satisfaction. zyxwvutsrq KEY WORDS: dental implants, immediate loading, implant-supported prosthesis, mandible, survival rate he classic concept of osseointegration advocated a T two-stage surgical procedure with submergence of implants during the healing phase.’>2 More recently bone anchorage has been demonstrated using a one-stage sur- gical procedure when proper bone quality is a~ailable.~~’ Furthermore, a treatment concept, Brinemark Novum@, *The Brinemark Centre, Perth, Australia; +Department of Periodon- tology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; holder of the P-I Brinemark Chair in Osseointegration; *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Sunderby County Hospital, Lule%, Swe- den; $private practice, Verona, Italy; IlBrgnemark Osseointegration Center, Santiago, Chile; ‘Brinemark Osseointegration Centre, Barcelona, Spain; **Clinical Research Department, Nobel Riocare AB, Gothenburg, Sweden Reprint requests: Patrick J. Henry, BDSc, MSD, The Brinemark Centre, 64 Havelock Street, West Perth WA 6005, Australia; e-mail: patrickl@iinet.net.au 02003 BC Decker Inc has been developed in which implants are inserted in the mandibular symphysis and immediately connected to a prefabricated titanium bar.8 A fixed prosthesis is then attached to the bar during or immediately following surgery. Results of this clinical study report an implant survival of 98% after 1 year of follow-up. Suggested advantages of the new concept are financial considera- tions owing to less chairside time and shorter time from start of treatment to finished prosthesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the application of the Brinemark Novum concept under different settings, to determine technique sensitivity and also to evaluate the clinical outcome after 1 year of follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS An open prospective multicenter investigation was car- ried out at six centers in three continents between 137