Dental implants in children

Abstract

Dental implant placement is one of the possible modes of rehabilitation in pediatric patients, with conditions such as congenital partial anodontia and traumatic tooth loss. Systematic planning of treatment is required to achieve optimum esthetic and functional outcomes. Growth assessment accompanied with alveolar bone evaluation is mandatory at the planning of implant treatment. For greater outcomes of implant treatments, all the surgical and orthodontic procedures should be well initiated about a year prior to the planned implant placement. In children, greater the physiologic harmony that can be created within the dentition, alveolar bone and skeletal growth changes, higher are the chances of successful implant placement. To determine the optimal individual time point of implant insertion, the status of skeletal growth, the degree of hypodontia, and extension of related psychological stress should be taken into account in addition to the status of the existing dentition and dental compliance of a pediatric patient.