Evidence-Based Techniques to Assess the Performance of Dental Implants

Abstract

The clinical use of evidence-based medicine has been regarded as one of the most significant medical advancements of the last century. As the costs of medical care escalate, clinical decisions have to be made prudently and with a high degree of efficacy. One of the most expensive treatments in dentistry includes the use of dental implants to rehabilitate partial and fully edentulous patients. Due to the high costs of treatments and the ever increasing varieties of dental implants becoming available, the clinician is often faced with a challenging situation to decide the best prostheses for their patients. Furthermore, navigating through the vast database of literature pertaining to dental implants and their related research can be very time consuming and challenging to a dental surgeon before they can make appropriate clinical decisions. Similar to other orthopedic implants, dental implants need to be evaluated for their long-term efficacy in vivo before they are clinically acceptable. In order to help clinician(s) make patient oriented decisions, evidence-based techniques are becoming increasingly popular. This can be a very useful tool in translating research findings into clinical practice, thus narrowing the gap between research and clinical dentistry. This article discusses ways in which evidence-based techniques can help dental surgeons analyze and make informed clinical decisions about dental implant treatments.

Recent Advances in the Development of Antimicrobial and Antifouling Biocompatible Materials for Dental Applications

“…The popularity of dental implants has been escalating over the years as it is the preferred treatment option for the replacement of single or multiple missing teeth (Figure 2c) [60]. Despite its success, aseptic loosening and infection of implants are the common reasons for clinical failure [61].…”

Scientific production of an oral implantology journal: a 5-year bibliometric study

“…Dental implantology, as a part of Dentistry, follows the principles of Evidence-Based Medicine (Kashi et al, 2013 ), which classifies its research methods following an established pyramid of hierarchy to reflect the reliability of application to clinical practice. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses can be found at the pinnacle of them, followed in descending order by randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort, case-controlled and cross-sectional studies, case reports, and expert opinions.…”

Importance of Systematic Reviews in Implant Dentistry

“…This will provide narrower 95% confidence intervals than any study conducted on its own. 5 When well conducted, they should give us the best possible estimate of any true effect. 1 There is evidence that systematic reviews improve the reliability and accuracy of the conclusions; however, the results are rarely unequivocal and require a careful appraisal and interpretation: 6 Clinicians therefore need to integrate the results with clinical expertise and the patient's preferences.…”