title: The influence of platform switching in dental implants. A literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The platform switching concept involves the reduction of the restoration abutment diameter with respect to the diameter of the dental implant. In 1991, dental implants of 5 and 6 mm diameter platforms were introduced. However, matching-diameter prosthetic abutments were not available. These implants were restored with "standard"-diameter prosthetic components (4.1 mm). Long-term follow up around these wide-platforms showed higher levels of bone preservation. In time, it has been called platform switching. The first case report applying this concept was indexed in MedLine in 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this article is to carry out a literature review of articles which deal with the influence of this modified platform in hard and soft oral tissues. All papers involving "platform switching" that are indexed in MedLine and published in English were used. Clinical cases, experimental and non-experimental studies were included, as well as literature reviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our search, we found: 16 clinical series or single clinical cases, 10 test and control studies, 9 experimental studies and 3 reviews.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All papers written by different researchers show an improvement in perimplant bone preservation. Further long-term studies are necessary to confirm these results. The articles consulted refer to the biomechanical behavior of the abutment-implant complex in response to occlusal loading, the maintenance of crestal bone height and the peculiar repositioning of the biological space.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. serranosanchez@gmail.com
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serrano-Sánchez
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Calvo-Guirado
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manzanera-Pastor
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lorrio-Castro
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bretones-López
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pérez-Llanes
mesh_terms: D000044:Dental Abutments; D015921:Dental Implants; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants