A clinical study of wide implants with 5-6 mm lengths in mandible

Abstract

In patients with a severely atrophic mandibular alveolar ridge, short implants (5-6 mm) were successfully placed and functional without the need for an invasive surgical procedure. We placed 19 implants 5 to 7 mm in diameter and 5 to 6 mm in length in 13 patients. During an average observation of 40.7 months, we measured marginal bone loss, survival rates, and success rates of the implants and analyzed the outcomes based on a review of the literature. During the clinical observation period, we recorded an implant survival rate of 100% and an average success rate of 94.7%. Average marginal bone loss was 0.23 mm, with marginal bone loss exceeding 1 mm at 1 year in only one case. On short-term observation, placement of implants having a wide diameter and 5 to 6 mm in length showed outstanding clinical results in patients with severe atrophy of the mandibular molar region. Therefore, favorable results can be expected with short implants as a possible treatment option without the need for complex surgical procedures.