A study of dental implants in medically treated hypothyroid patients.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the success outcomes of implants and prosthodontic treatment placed in patients with a previous history of hypothyroidism that was being controlled with medications.


METHODS
Twenty-seven female patients with a medically confirmed history of primary hypothyroid disease who were on replacement medications at the time of implant surgery were selected as the study group. They were matched with 29 control patients by age, gender, location (jaw and zone) of implants, type of prosthesis, and dental status of the opposing arch. Additional factors studied were medical history, medications, smoking habits, and bone quality and quantity.


RESULTS
There was no statistical difference in the number of implant failures between the two groups (p = .781). The hypothyroid patients had more soft tissue complications (p = .018) following stage 1 surgery. More bone loss around implants in the hypothyroid patients was recorded after year 1 of loading when compared with loss in their matched controls (p = .017).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that medically controlled hypothyroid female patients treated with dental implants are not at higher risk of implant failure when compared with matched controls, and that a history of controlled hypothyroidism does not appear to be a contraindication for implant therapy with endosseous implants.
Attard
Nikolai J
NJ
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. nik.attard@utoronto.ca
Zarb
George A
GA
D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D000075202:Contraindications; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000627:therapeutic use
D015921:Dental Implants; D013974:Thyroxine