Osseointegrated dental implants in patients with intellectual disability: a pilot study

The objective of this study was to investigate if intellectual disability (ID) itself constitutes an absolute contraindication to oral rehabilitation with osseointegrated implants, or if adequately selected patients can benefit from this dental treatment technique.

We report a series of eight patients with non-syndromic ID and no associated neuromuscular disorders, craniofacial abnormalities, or serious systemic complications, in whom oral rehabilitation was performed using implant-supported prostheses, with a follow-up of one to three years.

A total of 18 titanium implants were inserted and nine implant-supported prostheses were constructed. Follow-up examination showed that although the majority of implants presented a degree of peri-implant mucositis, all were osseointegrated and the prostheses were functional.

Although there is very little literature on this subject, the results of this pilot study allow us to suggest that osseointegrated oral implants could constitute a therapeutic option for patients with ID. The success of oral rehabilitation depends fundamentally on appropriate patient selection.

• Apart from the obvious difficulties related to eating and communication, edentulism is of great cosmetic importance in patients with ID in terms of social acceptance. • It has been suggested that patients with ID do not receive the same level of dental treatment as the general population. • The results of this pilot study allow us to suggest that osseointegrated oral implants could constitute a therapeutic option for patients with ID.