Short Implants in Maxillary and Mandibular Rehabilitations: Interim Results (6 to 42 Months) of a Prospective Study
The aim of this single-cohort study was to evaluate clinical survival and success of partial rehabilitation supported by reduced-length implants in maxilla and mandible. Data from 53 short implants placed in 41 patients are presented. Before surgery mean residual bone height was 6.21 ± 1.05 mm in the upper jaw and 10.73 ± 1.63 mm in the mandible. None of the implants failed, and the cumulative survival rate was 100% at 1 year after prosthetic loading. Mean peri-implant bone loss was 0.69 ± 0.24 mm for maxillary implants and 0.73 ± 0.23 mm for mandibular implants, and there was no significant difference between the 2 jaws. No complications were recorded. Despite the limitations of this study concerning study design and sample size, short implants may be considered effective in supporting partial rehabilitation in both maxilla and mandible. More well-designed studies with a larger sample size and longer follow-up are needed to validate the use of short implants.
Figure 1. Short implant in the posterior maxilla, placed respecting the anatomy of maxillary sinus floor. Figure 2. One-year follow-up after definitive prosthetic rehabilitation. It can be seen that the mean marginal bone resorption was 0.78 mm and did not affect implant and prosthesis success. Figure 3. Short implants in the posterior mandible. Figure 4. One-year follow-up after definitive prosthetic rehabilitation
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