Prosthetic Rehabilitation of the Partially Edentulous Atrophic Posterior Mandible with Short Implants (≤ 8 mm) Compared with the Sandwich Osteotomy and Delayed Placement of Standard Length Implants (> 8 mm):a Systematic Review

Objectives: Test the hypothesis of no difference in prosthetic rehabilitation of the partially edentulous atrophic posterior mandible with short implants (≤ 8 mm) compared with the sandwich osteotomy and delayed placement of standard lengths implants (> 8 mm). Material and Methods: A MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase and Cochrane library search in combination with a hand-search was conducted by including studies published in English. No year of publication restriction was applied. Results: Six randomized controlled trials characterized by low or moderate risk of bias fulfilled the inclusion criteria. There were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in the survival rate of suprastructures and implants between the two treatment modalities after one year. Sandwich osteotomy and delayed implant placement demonstrated statistically significant higher long-term peri-implant marginal bone loss as well as biological and technical complications compared with short implants (P < 0.0001). Moreover, patients significantly favoured prosthetic rehabilitation with short implants (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Short implants and the sandwich osteotomy with delayed placement of standard length implants appear to result in predictable outcomes in terms of high survival rate of suprastructures and implants after prosthetic rehabilitation of the partially edentulous atrophic posterior mandible. However, further long-term randomized controlled trials assessing donor site morbidity, an economic perspective, professional and patient-related outcome measures with the two treatment modalities are needed before definite conclusions can be provided about the beneficial use of short implants for prosthetic rehabilitation of the partially edentulous atrophic posterior mandible compared with the sandwich osteotomy and delayed placement of standard length implants

Single-crown restorations supported by short implants (6 mm) compared with standard-length implants (13 mm) in conjunction with maxillary sinus floor augmentation:a randomized, controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to test the H0-hypothesis of no difference in the clinical and radiographical treatment outcome of single-crown restorations supported by short implants compared with standard length implants in conjunction with maxillary sinus floor augmentation (MSFA) after 1 year of functional implant loading. Forty patients with partial edentulism in the posterior part of the maxilla were randomly allocated to treatment involving single-crown restorations supported by short implants or standard length implants in conjunction with MSFA. Clinical and radiographical evaluation were used to assess survival of suprastructures and implants, peri-implant marginal bone loss (PIMBL), biological, and mechanical complications. RESULTS: Both treatment modalities were characterized by 100% survival of suprastructures and implants after 1 year. Mean PIMBL was 0.60 mm with short implants compared with 0.51 mm with standard length implants after 1 year of functional loading. There were no statistically significant differences in survival of suprastructure and implants, PIMBL, and mechanical complications between the two treatment modalities. However, a higher incidence of biological complications was associated with standard length implants in conjunction with MSFA. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that single-crown restorations supported by short implants seems to be comparable with standard length implants in conjunction with MSFA. However, long-term studies are needed before final conclusions can be provided about the two treatment modalities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.Gov ID: NCT04518020. Date of registration: August 14, 2020, retrospectively registered