title: Dental implants in irradiated versus nonirradiated patients: A meta-analysis.
abstract: The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to test the null hypothesis of no difference in dental implant failure rates, postoperative infection, and marginal bone loss for patients being rehabilitated by dental implants and being previously irradiated in the head and neck region versus nonirradiated patients against the alternative hypothesis of a difference. The study suggests that irradiation negatively affects the survival of implants, as well as the difference in implant location (maxilla vs mandible), but there is no statistically significant difference in survival when implants are inserted before or after 12 months after radiotherapy. The study failed to support the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in irradiated patients. It was observed that there was a tendency of lower survival rates of implants inserted in the patients submitted to higher irradiation doses. The results should be interpreted with caution because of the presence of uncontrolled confounding factors in the included studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bruno Ramos
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Chrcanovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.|Department of Biomaterials, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Albrektsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wennerberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011830:Radiation Effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants
keywords: dental implants; infection; marginal bone loss; meta-analysis; radiotherapy