Long-term outcomes of short dental implants supporting single crowns in posterior region: a clinical retrospective study of 5-10 years

OBJECTIVE: Aimed to evaluate the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of short implants supporting single crowns in the posterior regions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study design was adopted. The clinical and radiographic data of 231 short implants (intra-bony length ≤8 mm) supporting single crowns in 168 patients, were collected after 5-10 (mean 7.22) years' follow-up. Implant and prosthesis failures, peri-implant marginal bone loss, biological and technical complications were evaluated. The influence factors on implant failure were studied.

RESULTS: In total 4 implants and 11 prostheses failed. The 10-year (5-year) cumulative survival rate was 98.3% (98.7%) for implant-based analysis and 97.6% (98.2%) for patient-based analysis. The short implants placed in type IV bone yielded more failures than in type I-III and presented a survival rate of 94.0%. The 10-year survival rate of the prostheses was 95.2%. The mean marginal bone loss between implant installation and the 10 years' follow-up visit was 0.63 ± 0.68 mm. The marginal bone loss between the first and 5th year was minimal (0.05 ± 0.10mm and not statistically significant). 18 (7.8%) implants were exposed to biological complications, whereas 29 (12.6%) implants were involved in technical complications.

CONCLUSIONS: High survival rates for both the implants and the prostheses could be achieved after 5-10 years for short implants supporting single crowns, without severe marginal bone loss and complications. One may conclude that a single crown supported by a short implant is a predictable treatment modality. However, short implants in type IV bone sites should be applied with caution.