Mandibular single-implant overdentures are a successful treatment option for older edentulous adults with early loading protocol using implants of different diameters and with different attachment systems.

The rehabilitation of single missing mandibular molars by immediately placed and restored wide-diameter implants was associated with a relatively high failure rate.

The implant stability measurements after 8 weeks showed a better accuracy in predicting implants that were at risk of failure than those taken at the time of implant placement.

This clinical multicentre research complements previous case reports, case series, retrospective and prospective studies on the notion of implant-assisted removable partial dentures for partially edentulous patients. Late implant failures and increased prosthodontic maintenance when an attachment system is used identify the need for further research, including more robust statistical analyses.

The review reveals that there is a lack of published randomized clinical trials using mandibular single-implant overdentures, opposing maxillary complete dentures. Without the evidence from randomized clinical trials, routine use of this novel approach cannot be recommended, compared with using regular diameter implants and matching attachment systems.