Dental implants inserted in fresh extraction sockets versus healed sites : a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present review was to test the null hypothesis of no difference in the implant failure rates, postoperative infection and marginal bone loss for the insertion of dental implants in fresh extraction sockets compared to the insertion in healed sites, against the alternative hypothesis of a difference. METHODS: An electronic search was undertaken in July 2014. Eligibility criteria included clinical human studies, either randomized or not. RESULTS: The search strategy resulted in 73 publications, with 8241 implants inserted in sockets (330 failures, 4.00%), and 19,410 in healed sites (599 failures, 3.09%). The difference between the procedures significantly affected the failure rates (RR 1.58, 95% CI 1.27-1.95, P