Technical and biological complications/failures with single crowns and fixed partial dentures on implants: a 10-year prospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess prospectively over 10 years the incidences of technical and/or biological complications and failures occurring in a cohort of consecutive partially edentulous patients with fixed reconstructions on implants of the ITI Dental Implant System.


METHODS
Eighty-nine patients were available, 34 (38.2%) were male, 55 (61.8%) were female. At the 10-year examination (range 8-12 years), they were 58.9 years old (range 28-88 years).


RESULTS
Single crowns (SC): 48 patients had been restored with 69 SC on 69 implants. Five of the implants with the crowns were lost because of biological failures. Two crowns (2.9%) were remade because of technical failures. Total failure amounted to seven (10%). Implant borne fixed partial dentures (I-I FPD): In 29 patients who had been restored with 33 implant borne suprastructures, the total number of failed I-I FPD was 2 (6.1%). Tooth-implant borne fixed partial dentures (I-T FPD): In 21 patients, 22 mixed tooth-implant borne reconstructions were constructed. The number of failed FPD reached 7 (31.8%). Statistically significantly fewer biological failures occurred with I-I FPD compared with the I-T FPDs (ANOVA, Bonferroni, P=0.022). The I-T FPDs experienced statistically significantly more frequent technical failures compared with the other two groups of suprastructures (P=0.003, 0.031). Consequences of complications: The occurrence of loss of retention as a complication increased the odds ratio (OR) to 17.6 (P<0.001) to end up in a technical failure. Similarly, the event of a porcelain fracture increased the OR for the suprastructure to be a failure at 10 years to 11.0 (P< or =0.004). Treatment of periimplantitis increased the OR to 5.44 (P< or =0.011) to result in a biological failure compared with implants in which this type of treatment was not applied.


CONCLUSIONS
The three groups of suprastructures demonstrated marked differences in their patterns of failures and complications. Complications increased the risk for failure. Support by CRF, University of Berne, Switzerland.
Brägger
Urs
U
Department of Periodontology and Fixed Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Karoussis
Ioannis
I
Persson
Rutger
R
Pjetursson
Bjarni
B
Salvi
Giovanni
G
Lang
Niklausp
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019250:Dental Implants, Single-Tooth / Q000009:adverse effects; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000009:adverse effects; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies