Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
Effects of Mechanical Methods Used in Peri-implantitis Treatment on Implant Surface Decontamination and Roughness
Published on: March 14, 2025
Long-term outcomes of dental implants with a titanium plasma-sprayed surface: a 20-year prospective case series study
Vivianne Chappuis1, Ramona Buser, Urs Brägger
1Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Background:
Long-term studies of ≥10 years are important milestones to get a better understanding of potential factors causing implant failures or complications.
Purpose:
The present study investigated the long-term outcomes of titanium dental implants with a rough, microporous surface (titanium plasma sprayed [TPS]) and the associated biologic and technical complications in partially edentulous patients with fixed dental prostheses over a 20-year follow-up period.
Materials And Methods:
Sixty-seven patients, who received 95 implants in the 1980s, were examined with well-established clinical and radiographic parameters. Based on these findings, each implant was classified as either successful, surviving, or failed.
Results:
Ten implants in nine patients were lost during the observation period, resulting in an implant survival rate of 89.5%. Radiographically, 92% of the implants exhibited crestal bone loss below 1 mm between the 1- and 20-year follow-up examinations. Only 8% yielded peri-implant bone loss of >1 mm and none exhibited severe bone loss of more than 1.8 mm. During the observation period, 19 implants (20%) experienced a biologic complication with suppuration. Of these 19 implants, 13 implants (13.7%) had been treated and were successfully maintained over the 20-year follow-up period. Therefore, the 20-year implant success rate was 75.8 or 89.5% depending on the different success criteria. Technical complications were observed in 32%.
Conclusion:
The present study is the first to report satisfactory success rates after 20 years of function of dental implants with a TPS surface in partially edentulous patients.
