Evaluation of survival of 8 mm-length implants in posterior resorbed ridges: A pilot study

Rehabilitation of jaws with reduced bone height is technically demanding and expensive. Short implants are emerging as an alternate in such cases.

This study aimed to evaluate the survival of implants of 8 mm in length (short implants), clinically and radiographically, in posterior resorbed ridges.

A total of 11 patients with single missing posterior tooth, having 9-10 mm of residual bone height determined using radiographs, were selected for the study. Twelve implants of 8 mm length were inserted in the resorbed alveolar ridges following standard operating procedure. A second-stage surgery was performed 4-6 months after implant placement for placement of gingival former. This was followed by placement of prosthesis. Twelve months after prosthesis placement, all the patients were examined clinically and radiographically.

According to Albrektsson et al.'s criteria, all implants were successful with mean bone loss of 1.1 ± 0.32 mm mesially and 0.83 ± 0.35 mm distally with healthy gingival condition at 12-month follow-up.

Short implants (8 mm in length) can be a viable alternative in cases of atrophic alveolar ridges.