Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial of Subcrestal Dental Implant Placement

This document is a clinical trial report that presents the results of a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical outcomes of placing single dental implants either 0.5 mm or 1.5 mm subcrestally in healed bone crests. The study involved sixty partially edentulous patients who were randomly assigned to receive two implants, one at each depth, using a split-mouth design. The primary objective was to assess the clinical benefits of the two placement depths over a five-year follow-up period. The trial evaluated various outcome measures, including implant and crown failures, complications, aesthetics as measured by the pink esthetic score, and changes in peri-implant marginal bone levels. The results indicated no statistically significant differences in failure rates or aesthetic outcomes between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference in bone loss, with the 0.5 mm group experiencing greater loss than the 1.5 mm group. The findings suggest that clinicians can choose either placement depth without concern for significant differences in clinical outcomes.