WITHDRAWN: Interventions for replacing missing teeth: surgical techniques for placing dental implants.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Surgical Techniques
• Evidence-Based Dentistry

Background:

• Numerous variations in dental implant surgical techniques exist, including timing of placement and bone site preparation.
• These variations aim to optimize outcomes in implant dentistry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the success, function, morbidity, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness of different dental implant surgical techniques.
• To test the null hypothesis of no difference between various surgical approaches.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) was conducted.
• Searches included major databases (Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE) and contact with implant companies.
• Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• Four RCTs (six publications) met the inclusion criteria, evaluating two aspects of surgical technique: implant number for mandibular overdentures and incision type for placement.
• No statistically significant differences were found between alternative techniques regarding implant failures, marginal bone levels, morbidity, or patient satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Current RCT evidence does not strongly support superior success for specific techniques in supporting mandibular overdentures or for crestal versus vestibular incisions.
• The conclusions are limited by the small number of RCTs and relatively short follow-up periods in the included studies.