Evaluation of patient and implant characteristics as potential prognostic factors for oral implant failures.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient, implant, and treatment characteristics to identify possible prognostic factors for implant failure.


METHODS
Out of a database with different dental implant treatment protocols, a research database of 1 randomly selected implant per patient was created. The database consisted of 487 implants. Of these, 80 were withdrawn, 36 failed, and 371 remained successful during a 5-year follow-up period. Potential risk factors were evaluated by chi-square tests and post hoc analyses.


RESULTS
Significant or strongly significant differences were found regarding implant failures as a result of jawbone quality, jaw shape, implant length, treatment protocol, and combinations of jawbone-related characteristics. Responsible clinics and number of implants supporting the restoration were factors that could not be associated with implant failure.


CONCLUSIONS
Implant failures in this study were more often seen when negative patient-related factors were present. Approximately 65% of the patients with a combination of the 2 most negative bone-related factors (jawbone quality 4 and jaw shape D or E) experienced implant failure. However, only 3% of the patients had this combination. Implant length, the only implant-related factor evaluated, was also significantly correlated with the success rate, but implant length could also be regarded as a result of the jawbone volume available. Another negative patient-related factor was the treatment protocol; however, in most cases this was also indirectly or partly related to the status of the jawbone available for implant placement.


CONCLUSIONS
Patient selection appears to be of importance for increasing implant success rates.
Herrmann
Irene
I
Oral Implant Surgery, Faculty of Odontology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden. irene.herrmann@lifecore.com
Lekholm
Ulf
U
Holm
Sture
S
Kultje
Christina
C
D000367:Age Factors; D015519:Bone Density; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D019992:Databases as Topic; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013499:Surface Properties; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015921:Dental Implants