Outcomes of short implants supporting fixed prostheses in posterior region – A retrospective study of 1–3 years

Background

Short implants are considered to be the simpler and more effective alternative to complicated bone graft surgery in clinical situations with reduced alveolar bone height. But, a considerable number of clinicians still hesitate to use short implants questioning about their prognoses mainly due to the reduced contact area between the bone and implant and unfavorable crown to implant ratio compared to longer implants.

Aim/Hypothesis

The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of short implants supporting fixed prostheses in posterior regions.

Material and Methods

A retrospective study design was adopted. 69 short implants(intra-bony length ≤ 8 mm) supporting fixed prostheses in posterior regions of 56 patients were included. The implant success rate and periimplant marginal bone loss were evaluated. The effects of associated factors on the implant performance were analyzed.

Results

A total of 3 implants failed. 2 implants were lost before loading and 1 implant was lost at 7 months after loading. The mean follow-up was 30.1 months(SD = 11.8 months). Success rate was 95.7% and 94.6% for the implant and patient-based analysis respectively. The average marginal bone loss after 1 year of follow-up was 0.02 ± 0.16 mm at mesial and 0.03 ± 0.14 mm at distal aspect, and it was 0.03 ± 0.16 mm at mesial and 0.04 ± 0.16 mm at distal aspect for subsequent evaluations. No relationship was observed between the studied variables and the marginal bone loss.

Conclusion and Clinical Implications

High survival rates for short implants in posterior regions could be achieved with minimal marginal bone loss in this study. Within the limits of the short term follow-up, a short implant (≤8 mm) may be considered as a predictable treatment modality for posterior region with reduced bone height.