ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive value of resonance frequency analysis in assessing implant survival. This was accomplished by determining the correlation between implant stability quotients (ISQs) and implant survival following different placement staging (1-stage vs 2-stage) and loading (early vs traditional) protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on implant patient data collected over a 5-year period. Patients ranged in age from 16 to 91 years. We analyzed 703 implants during placement and 1,254 implants before loading. All implants were placed with respective ISQs recorded by 1 oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) statistical analysis was used to calculate sensitivity and specificity values corresponding to various ISQ cutoff points for different placement staging and loading protocols; χ(2) tests were used to identify significant differences. RESULTS: In predicting implant failure, sensitivity progressively increased and specificity decreased as ISQ cutoff values increased. All failures occurred at an ISQ less than 66 for the placement staging protocol and an ISQ less than 67 for the loading protocol. When ISQ values were below 60, higher survival rates were observed when implants were placed using a 2-stage rather than a 1-stage placement staging protocol (P < .05). The area under the ROC curve for placement staging was 0.80, and the area under the ROC curve for loading was 0.89. An implant survival rate of over 98% was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: Resonance frequency analysis is a noninvasive technique used to measure the stability of implants and to help guide placement staging and loading protocols. This study showed that increasing ISQ values correlated with increased sensitivity in detecting implant failure. Given the high survival rates of dental implants, additional studies can further elucidate the relationship between ISQ values and survival rates.
