Average annual crestal bone loss of ITI implants following the first year of loading

Background: long term success of dental implants directly depends on marginal bone resorption. the aim of thisstudy was to determine the annual average bone loss on the mesial and distal aspects of implants following the first yearof implantation.methods: this was a descriptive analytical study of patients treated with iti (international team of implantology)implants at the dental school of isfahan university of medical sciences from 1998-2002 (1377-81). a total of 15 patientswith 41 implants were selected by convenience sampling method. the height of the alveolar bone was measuredusing panoramic radiography before and after loading with calipers to determine the average bone loss. other informationsuch as pocket depth, bleeding index, plaque index, gingival recession, was obtained by clinical examinations. themean bone loss on the mesial & distal sides was analyzed by anova at 0.05 level of significance.results: the average bone loss on the proximal sides of iti implants obtained annually after the first year of loadingwas 0.084 ± 0.035 mm with slight difference on the mesial (0.092 ± 0.035) and distal (0.072 ± 0.033) sides. there wasnegligible difference between male and female patients. the average survival rate for thirty three months was 95.1%.conclusion: the average bone loss on the mesial and distal sides of iti implants compared with other studies wassatisfactory. survival and success rates were acceptable.