Objectives: To evaluate the stability of 18 immediately loaded Brånemark System dental implants in an insulin-controlled, diabetic, 71-year-old patient over the first 30 months after surgery, and to correlate this data with implant stability in healthy patients.
Method and materials: Stability measurements were taken using resonance frequency analysis on all implants at surgery placement and at 5 postsurgical examinations (1, 2, 3, 6, and 30 months).
Results: All 18 implants remained in function after 2.5 years of follow-up. The mean stability of the implants decreased 12.7% during the first 30 days, a value twice as much as seen in the general population. After the first 30 days, the stability of the implants increased slightly over the next 60 days. After 30 months of follow-up, the mean implant stability continued to increase, however, not to a value equal to that of the initial measurement taken at the time of implant placement.
Conclusion: Despite the metabolic differences seen in diabetic patients, an immediate loading protocol can be successful and result in osseointegration.