Programmatic effectiveness of a university-based implant training program: long-term, patient-centered outcomes

The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry established a formal implant program in 1999. The program utilizes a single system (Straumann) and a team concept in which implants are placed by residents in period ontology or oral and maxillofacial surgery and restored by predoctoral dental students. The program features stringent patient inclusion and exclusion criteria, incremental structured learning experiences, formal standardized protocols, and hands-on preclinical learning experiences. The use of a single system simplified training protocols and inventory requirements. Complete and partially edentulous patients requiring single and multiple implants are eligible for the program, although maxillary anterior sites are excluded. There is a formal quality assurance program to assess patient-centered outcomes. The current report includes data for patients who had implants placed in the period from January 2000 through December 2002. During that period, 192 patients received dental implants, of which 116 patients (248 implants) were available for analysis. The mean follow-up was 7.05 years (median = 7.32 years). The implant survival rate was 98.4%, while the success rate was 93.15%. Success was determined by the absence of pain or mobility, as well as self-reported patient satisfaction with function, appearance, and surgical experience.