Implant–tooth‐supported fixed partial prostheses: correlations between in vivo occlusal bite forces and marginal bone reactions

Purpose: To evaluate maximal occlusal bite forces (MOF) and marginal bone level (MBL) changes in patients with implant–tooth‐supported fixed partial prostheses (FPP). Material and methods: Twenty nine partially edentulous patients consecutively who received 34 three‐occlusal unit FPP with terminal implant and tooth support were subjected to quantification of MOFs using a sub‐miniature load cell connected to a data acquisition system and measurement of the MBL changes around implants in digitalized periapical radiographs obtained at prostheses delivery and 24‐month follow‐up. Results: MOFs for implant support (mean: 353.61 N) significantly differed from tooth support (mean: 275.48 N) ( P <0.05), while gender did not influence MOFs ( P >0.05). MBL changes at mesial and distal sites of the implants at 24 months of functional loading were 0.28 and 0.097 mm respectively. Conclusion: Although MOFs under functional loading might indicate an increase in load participation for supporting implant, the rigid connection between implant and natural tooth via three‐occlusal unit FPP does not jeopardize the time‐dependent MBL stability of the implant under functional loads.