Prefabricated shouldered abutments enable successful restoration of molar crowns on implants

Abstract

PurposeThis retrospective study evaluated the effect of selected clinical and patient factors on survival, success, and peri‐implant bone level changes of locking taper implants supporting molar crowns on Bicon's prefabricated shouldered abutments.MethodsA total of 234 patients, who received 274 single molar crowns supported by locking taper implants were included in this retrospective study. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to assess overall implant survival, prostheses survival, and success. Crowns were either monolithic (resin based) or bilayered (milled fiber‐reinforced composite coping veneered with indirect composite). Early and late changes in marginal bone levels were plotted and analyzed with equivalence testing to compare the effects of different factors on crestal bone levels.ResultsAt 9.5 years after implant surgery, the implant survival probability was 94.2%, the probability of prosthesis survival was 91.4%, and the probability of prosthetic success was 90.4%. Neither the use of different crown materials, nor the choice of monolithic versus bilayered crown construction, significantly affected the probability of prosthetic success. Marginal bone levels, on average, trended downwards towards the top of the implant within the first 2 years after functional loading, and remained stable on average, since then. Factors affecting bone levels included the use of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, which precluded early implant bone loss; and subcrestal implant placement, which was linked to significantly higher long‐term bone levels.ConclusionThe implant and abutment system studied resulted in high implant and prosthetic survival rates, regardless of prosthetic material used, with stable bone levels over time.

Short and Extra Short Dental Implants in Osseous Microvascular Free Flaps: A Retrospective Case Series

“…Subcrestal dental implant placement was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. The extra-short and short implant system used has a 1.5 • locking taper implant-abutment connection, which provides 360 • of universal abutment positioning [29]. The implant has a plateau-root form macro design with a calcium-phosphate-treated surface.…”