Prognosis of Implants with Implant-Supported Fixed Dental Prostheses in the Elderly Population: A Retrospective Study with a 5- to 10-Year Follow-Up

Abstract

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the survival rate of implants from 5 to 10 years after the placement of implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (ISFDPs) and the management of implant loss in the elderly population. Elderly patients (≥65 years old) who had been treated with ISFDPs and followed up with for at least 5 years between October 2009 and March 2020 were enrolled. Patient profiles and implant-related data were extracted. The survival rate of implants up to 5 years as well as the 10-year cumulative survival rate were evaluated. The management of implant loss and prosthetic interventions were also investigated. In total, 195 patients (mean age: 70.1 ± 4.5 years old) and 687 implants (287 ISFDPs) were assessed. The 5-year survival rate was 99.0% and the 10-year cumulative survival rate was 98.1%. Seven of the eleven implants lost were lost due to peri-implantitis. Only three implants in two patients were placed after the loss of the implants; most were restored using non-invasive procedures. Two patients underwent a conversion from ISFDPs to removable prostheses. This study showed that high survival rates were observed in an elderly population with ISFDPs and that non-invasive procedures were often applied after the loss of an implant.

The Comparison of Survival Rates between Narrow Diameter Implants and Standard Diameter Implants: An Updated Meta-analysis

“…However, the results of the present meta-analysis showed that in terms of the survival rate of teeth, narrow implants did not have a statistically significant difference with standard implants and they were almost equal in terms of the survival rate. The use of small diameter implants in edentulous areas with low bone width or a reduced mesiodistal space is considered to be a suitable treatment option compared with ridge widening treatments because it is simpler and less expensive (30)(31)(32). On the other hand, using implants with a small diameter, in addition to solving the patient's need for bone width surgery, provides acceptable beauty by delivering the prosthesis to the patient on the day of the surgery (especially if the toothless area is in the anterior) (33).…”