Implant supported cantilevered fixed dental rehabilitations in partially edentulous patients: Systematic review of the literature. Part I.

Abstract

Objectives To investigate in which clinical situations a cantilever fixed implant supported restorations can be a treatment alternative and which complications are reported. Materials and Methods Two operators screened the literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE) and performed a hand search on the main journals dealing with implantology and prosthetics until 31 December 2017. Only articles that considered cantilever implant fixed restorations with at least 10 patients and with a mean follow‐up of at least 5 year were selected. The outcome variables were survival of implants and prosthesis, mechanical, technical and biological complications, marginal bone loss. The review was performed according to the PRISMA statements. Risk of bias assessment was evaluated. Failure and complication rates were analysed using random effect Poisson regression models to obtain summary estimate of 5‐ and 10‐year survival and complication rates. Results A total of nine papers were selected for partially edentulous patients and reported high survival rate of the prosthesis. The estimated survival rate for 5–10 years was calculated to be 98.4% for the implants and 99.2% for the rehabilitations. Mechanical, technical and biological complications were reported with a cumulative 5–10 years complication rate of 28.66% and 26.57% for the patients and for the prosthesis, respectively. Two papers for single implant supporting 2‐unit cantilever were not sufficient to draw conclusions. Conclusions There is evidence that cantilever can be successful treatment in partially edentulous patients. In two adjacent edentulous sites, data are not yet sufficient.

Six-year follow-up assessment of prosthesis survival and oral health-related quality of life in individuals with partial edentulism treated with three types of prosthodontic rehabilitation

“…Compared with the longitudinal survival rates of each prosthesis reported in other studies, our six-year cumulative survival rates in the IFD and FPD groups in this study were similarly high [12][13][14][15]. However, the survival rate in the RPD group was lower than those reported in previous studies [16][17][18].…”

Clinical and radiographic outcomes of implant‐supported fixed dental prostheses with cantilever extension. A retrospective cohort study with a follow‐up of at least 10 years

“…High survival rates of implant-supported FDPCs were reported both in prospective and retrospective studies (Storelli et al, 2018).…”

Prospective, Clinical Pilot Study with Eleven 4-Mm Extra-Short Implants Splinted to Longer Implants for Posterior Maxilla Rehabilitation

“…A recent review by Storelli et al found that the use of a cantilever can be a successful treatment option in partially edentulous patients, with a complication rate of 26.6% over observation periods of 5-10 years; however, treatments using single-tooth implants with cantilevers have not been sufficiently documented to produce any clear conclusion [50]. Providing the clinical situation permits, treatments using a splinted extra-short implant instead of a cantilever it could offer a viable alternative, as the present work observed no short-term prosthetic or biological complications.…”