NCT06207565

Immediate Implant Placement Utilizing Vestibular Flap Versus Single Flap Approach With Bone Graft

Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Immediate Implant Placement Utilizing Vestibular Flap Versus Single Flap Approach With Bone Graft in Anterior Maxilla: A Randomized Clinical Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 34 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Misr International University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Due to the evolution of esthetic implant dentistry and tissue regeneration (hard and soft tissue), flap design plays a crucial role in the maintenance and regeneration of the marginal soft tissue and interdental papillae around dental implants. The present study aims to compare soft and hard tissue changes following immediate implant placement with ridge augmentation using the vestibular flap versus single flap approach.

Detailed description

Achieving and maintaining optimal esthetics around maxillary anterior single implants is a demanding task. Despite the high success rates achieved with osseointegrated implants, inevitable loss of soft and hard tissue following tooth extraction often results in compromised vertical and horizontal dimensions of the peri-implant soft tissue in terms of esthetics. Various surgical techniques have been advocated to overcome the expected alveolar ridge dimensional changes in immediate implant placement, including the use of connective tissue grafts, bone grafts, flapless implant placement protocol and the different flap designs . Different flap designs available include vestibular incision, papilla sparing, envelope, triangular, and trapezoidal. Selection of the ideal flap design is case dependent, and is based on several factors such as, smile line, gingival biotype, width of the edentulous area, and the proposed treatment plan. It has also been reported that flapless implant placement is a predictable procedure with a high success rate and less patient discomfort, minimizing the overall procedure time, postoperative pain, and inflammation. However, flapless surgery has been regarded as a technique with limitations regarding bone augmentation. Therefore, cases with labial bone defects during immediate implant placement require flap mobilization to achieve the needed coverage for ridge augmentation, despite of the proposed drawbacks to flap reflection, such as the increased postoperative sequelae, recovery time, and reduced blood supply after flap adaptation. A single flap approach, a modified form of the envelope flap, has been suggested as an alternative to allow for ridge augmentation in esthetic immediate implant cases with labial bone defects. Whereas the vestibular incision, one horizontal full-thickness incision in the vestibule is considered a minimally invasive aesthetic ridge augmentation technique away from the gingival margin and sulcus, intending to maintain the volume and contour of the supra crestal soft tissue.

Conditions

• Immediate Implant Placement

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Vestibular Flap Group	Achieving the vestibular flap, a 1-cm long horizontal vestibular access incision using a 15c blade 3-4mm apical to the mucogingival junction of the hopeless tooth, exposing the alveolar bone. Flap dissection in a coronal direction to detach the periosteum is completed, forming a sub-periosteal tunnel.
PROCEDURE	Single Flap Approach group	A modified envelope flap originally reported as an access flap for single implant insertion in areas of esthetic relevance will be performed. A sulcular incision on the labial aspect extending at least one tooth mesial and distal to the implant site (permitting enough accessibility for bone augmentation) is done. The flap is reflected by performing a split-thickness flap elevation starting from the interproximal incisions, leaving the anatomical papillae in situ. While the full-thickness flap elevation is performed on the labial aspect of the included surgical area, starting at the sulcus, and reaching at least 3 mm apical to the bone crest.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-09-01
• Primary completion: 2026-07-01
• Completion: 2026-08-01
• First posted: 2024-01-17
• Last updated: 2025-04-18