Short implants are a successful short-term treatment option for reconstructive procedures in clinical situations of limited vertical bone height, according to a study in the Journal of Dental Research (January 2012, Vol. 91:1, pp. 25-32).
Researchers from the University of Rome systematically evaluated clinical studies of implants less than 10 mm in length to determine the success of short implant-supported prosthesis in the atrophic jaw.
They measured implant survival, incidence of biological and biomechanical complications, and radiographic peri-implant marginal bone loss. Two reviewers independently conducted screenings of eligible studies, quality assessment, and data extraction. Meta-analyses were performed by the pooling of survival data by implant surface, surgical technique, implant location, type of edentulism, and prosthetic restoration.
The researchers ultimately selected and analyzed two randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies, investigating 6,193 short implants from 3,848 participants.
They found a cumulative survival rate of 99.1%, a biological success rate of 98.8%, and a biomechanical success rate of 99.9%. A higher cumulative survival rate was reported for rough-surfaced implants.
"The provision of short implant-supported prostheses in patients with atrophic alveolar ridges appears to be a successful treatment option in the short term," the study authors concluded. "However, more scientific evidence is needed for the long term."
