Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using ultrashort implants in the rehabilitation of jaws of fragile patients. The aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate the survival rate of full-arch prosthetic rehabilitation on ultrashort implants, length 4 mm, 4 mm in diameter in the premolar and canine area and 4.5 mm in diameter in the molar area, with the insertion torque of 60 Nw and immediate loading. Nineteen patients were evaluated for 3 years clinically and radiographically. The significant majority of the patients at the 3 year follow-up (T4) presented a stable and functional implant-supported prothesis, and the survival rate of the implants was 85%, with a loss of 16 implants on 114 implants. The combination of the innovative implant surfaces and the correct project of the prostheses, with the related implant connection, determined a different timing in the therapy, allowing to obtain an immediate loading, which is currently demanded by patients. This and recent reports on short and ultrashort implant usage in atrophic jaws offer a good solution in critical cases. In conclusion, within the limits of the study, the full-arch rehabilitation with immediate loading on ultrashort implants showed good results with few postoperative complications and related low biological cost.
Highlights
The rehabilitation of edentulism in atrophic jaws represents a difficult situation to face, especially in fragile patients [1]
Other researchers agree that ultrashort implants are 4 mm long [7,8,9]
In order to achieve a successful prosthetic rehabilitation, all patients were studied through our new clinical protocol, which included a first gnathological evaluation through RC-TMD (Research Criteria- Temporomandibular Disorders) to evaluate the stomatognathic functional status [15]
Summary
The rehabilitation of edentulism in atrophic jaws represents a difficult situation to face, especially in fragile patients [1]. The implant-supported prosthetic solutions require a bone quantity able to host the implant fixture and, in cases of atrophic jaws, ridge augmentation is required to place a fixture of “normal” length (≤10 mm) [2]. These kinds of interventions are not risk-free, and the placement of shorter lengths represents a valid alternative to rehabilitate atrophic jaws [3]. The definition of a short implant is still a topic of debate; some researchers define “short implants” as fixtures having a length ranging between 7 and 10 mm, whereas others define them as fixtures presenting an intrabony length of 8 mm [4]. Other researchers agree that ultrashort implants are 4 mm long [7,8,9]
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