Clinical study on screw loosening in dental implant prostheses: a 6-year retrospective study

In this study, we determined the incidence and pattern of screw loosening in patients who received dental implants.

Patients who received implants between January 2008 and October 2013 and completed their prosthetic rehabilitation were evaluated for the incidence, frequency, and onset of screw loosening using dental charts and radiographs. The association between each factor and screw loosening was analyzed using the chi-square test and a multivariate analysis with binary logistic regression models (P<0.05).

Total 1,928 implants were placed in 837 patients (448 males, 389 females), whose follow-up period after loading varied from 0.25 to 70 months (mean period, 31.5 months). Screw loosening occurred in 7.2% of implants. Most cases occurred less than six months after loading. Among those, 22.3% experienced recurrent screw loosening. Screw loosening was most common in the molar region (8.5%) and frequently associated with an implant diameter of ≥5 mm (14.2%). External implant-abutment connections (8.9%) and screw-retained implant prostheses (10.1%) showed higher incidence of problems than internal implant-abutment connections and cement-retained implants, respectively. Screw loosening was most common in implant prostheses with single crowns (14.0%).

Within the limits of the current study, we conclude that the incidence of screw loosening differs significantly according to the position of implant placement, the type of implant and manufacturer, implant diameter, the type of implant-abutment connection, the type of retention in the implant prosthesis, and the type of implant prosthesis.