Short-term clinical retrospective study of implants in geriatric patients older than 70 years

The objectives of this study were to analyze the presence of systemic diseases, associated complications, and other problems occurring after loading of an implanted prosthesis, and to evaluate the amount of bone resorption occurring at the apex of alveolar bone. Therefore, this study analyzed these effects on dental implants in elderly patients with systemic diseases.

In total, 35 patients over the age of 70 years who had been operated on at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (Seongnam, Korea) between June 2003 and December 2006 were included. According to the types of additional surgical procedures, implant site, implant prosthesis, and systemic diseases, statistical comparisons were made of peri-implant bone resorption at last follow-up.

Following the completion of prosthodontic treatment, after a mean period of 32.7 months, the mean peri-implant bone resorption was 0.27 mm, and the peri-implant bone resorption was not significantly related to the type of upper prosthesis (P = .383), the surgical procedures accompanying placement (P = .933), or the presence/absence of systemic disease (P = .484).

According to this analysis, implant therapy in geriatric patients with controlled systemic disease should not be considered to be of particularly high risk.