Implants as a treatment alternative in children with multiple agnesia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background The bone growth factor was a conditioning circumstance that limited the use of implants in children and adolescents, which, in cases of anodontia or severe oligodontia, forced pediatric dentists to abandon their use, leaving children with removable prostheses, at an age and in a social context with increasingly functional and esthetic demands. Purpose. The objective is to assess which variables influence the survival of dental implants in pediatric patients with severe agenesis. Material and Methods A search was carried out in the Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, which was completed with a manual search. Results The following variables were extracted from the selected studies: author and year, number of patients or cases described, age, gender, number of implants, follow-up time, implanted area, percentage of success or failure, medical and dental history of the patients, type of treatment and study design. Conclusions The use of implants as a treatment at an early age has been a controversial issue. Using the appropriate preventive measures, the clinician can offer the child or adolescent a better life quality, esthetics and functionality, until the growth completion period allows for more complex and extensive rehabilitative treatments. A success rate of 89.8% was established for these implants, with no association with follow-up time or type of implant used. The highest survival rates were reported in the anterior mandibular region. Key words: Pediatric dentistry, ectodermal dysplasia, anodontia, oligodontia and dental implant.