[Needle implantations--clinical report]

In the last four years 27 patients with edentulous lower jaw were treated with implantation of rows of tantalum needles; 25 of them were followed up clinically and radiologically. After an average of two years and seven months where the success rate was found to be 72%. Reasons for failure were thought to be mistakes in operative technique, insufficient oral hygiene of the patients and less than optimal aftercare. These needle implants have proved their value also in cases with marked atrophy of the lower jaw where other prosthetic-surgical methods aimed at improving the prosthesis site have failed.