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Background Short and ultra‐short implants implants supporting single crowns seem to demonstrate high percentages of survival and stable marginal bone levels at a mid‐term follow‐up. Nevertheless, insurgence of peri‐implant complications still represents a critical issue, especially for patients with history of periodontitis. Purpose The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate implant survival, marginal bone loss and peri‐implant complications in 333 short and ultra‐short implants, placed in periodontally healthy patients and patients with a history of periodontitis. Materials and Methods Implants were placed in the maxillary and mandibular posterior regions of 142 patients with (PP) and without (NPP) a history of periodontitis. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed at 5‐year recall appointments. Results Implants respectively placed in PP and NPP were: 35.68% and 42.50% in 8.0 mm‐length group, 33.33% and 36.67% in 6.0 mm‐length group, and 30.99% and 20.83% in 5.0 mm‐length group. Implant‐based survival after 5 years of follow‐up was 95.77% for PP and 96.67% for NPP (p = 0.77). Regarding crestal bone level variations, average crestal bone loss was statistically different (p = 0.04) among PP (0.74 mm) and NPP (0.61 mm). Implants presenting signs of mucositis were 6.86% in PP and 7.76% in NPP (p = 0.76). Setting the threshold for excessive bone loss at 1 mm after 60 months, peri‐implantitis prevalence was 7.84% in PP and 2.59% in NPP (p = 0.08). Overall implant success was 92.16% and 97.41%, respectively, for PP and NPP. Conclusions Under strict maintenance program, five‐year outcomes suggest that short and ultra‐short locking‐taper implants can be successfully restored with single crowns in the posterior jaws both in PP and NPP.

Introduction and Aim. In case of peri-implantitis, resective surgery is contraindicated for short and ultrashort implants, limiting the treatment options to regenerative surgery or to implant removal. This retrospective case series presents the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a surgical regenerative procedure to treat peri-implantitis around short and ultrashort implants. Materials and Methods. The study is a retrospective evaluation of patients suffering from peri-implantitis and those who underwent access flap surgery, concomitant chemical and mechanical decontamination of implant surface, and bone grafting using a self-hardening mixture of bone substitutes and biphasic calcium sulfate. No membranes were applied to cover the grafting material, and primary tension-free closure was achieved. The retrospective protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee for Clinical Sperimentation (CESC) of Verona and Rovigo, Italy (based in the University of Verona) (Prog. 1863CESC. Date of approval: 2018-07-04). Results. 15 patients (17 implants) have been diagnosed with peri-implantitis after a mean follow-up of 24 months after loading. Implant length was between 5 and 8 mm. 8 patients (10 implants) had a history of periodontitis. At baseline, the mean PD (probing pocket dept) at the deepest site was 8.12 mm, with an average mBI (modified bleeding index) of 2.35 and a mean BD (bone defect depth) of 3.04 mm. At the 3-year follow-up, the CSR was 100%, the mean mBI was 0.88 (average reduction: −1.47), the mean PD was 3.35 mm (mean PD reduction: 4.77 mm), and the mean bone defect was reduced by 1.74 mm, with a mean bone fill of 55%. Conclusions. The results of the present case series suggest that if accurate surface decontamination is achieved, high survival rate and good clinical and radiographic results can be obtained after 3 years. However, only the histological examination could confirm the growth of new bone in direct contact with the implant surface or if the grafted material only fills the space left by the peri-implant defect.

Background : Peri-implant bone loss is a frequently used primary outcome in reporting short and ultra-short implant survival. A potential reason is the fact that whereas minimum bone loss may be negligible in regular sized implants, it may present a risk to survival of the final restored system in ultra-short implants. Aim/Hypothesis : The aim of this 5-year retrospective study was to assess survival rate and peri-implant marginal bone loss of short and ultrashort locking-taper implants, placed in the maxillary and mandibular posterior regions and restored with single crowns. Materials and Methods : 148 patients received 337 short (8 mm and 6 mm-length) and ultra-short (5 mm-length) locking-taper implants between February 2007 and July 2015. Clinical and radiographic follow-up examinations were performed at a 5-year recall appointment. Implant survival rate, peri-implant bone levels and soft tissues conditions were evaluated. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results : Implants positioned were respectively 202 and 135 in the posterior mandible and in the posterior maxilla; 126 implants were 8 mmlength, 118 were 6 mm-length and 93 were 5 mm-length. As one implant failed before loading, from a total of 336 implants restored with single crowns, 218 presented a history of periodontal disease and 118 implants were healthy. After 5 years of loading, overall implant survival rate was 97.03%, without any significant differences between length groups (P = 0.53): 97.62% for 8 mm-length implants, 95.76% for 6 mm-length implants, 97.85% for 5 mm-length implants respectively. Mean DCBL (average bone loss) was 0.89(1.07) mm and mean DF-BIC (average apical shift of the "first bone-to-implant contact point" position) was 0.16(0.65) mm, showing that crestal bone levels remained stable after 5 years. No significant differences were found among length-groups both for DCBL (P = 0.21) and DF-BIC (P = 0.78). Conclusions and Clinical Implications : Five-year outcomes suggest that short and ultra-short locking-taper implants restored with single crowns can offer a predictable solution in the rehabilitation of the atrophic posterior maxillary and mandibular regions.