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

Abstract

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.