Short Dental Implants: A Review of Literature

When anatomic structures and ridge resorption limit the placement of a standard implant, the clinician can apply augmentation techniques or use short implants. We conducted a literature review to evaluate the differences in survival rate and the rational use of short implants. Some of the parameters the clinician should consider are (1) area to rehabilitate as well as bone quality, (2) length of the implant, (3) implant diameter, and (4) type of implant and surface treatment. We conducted an electronic search of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. We also thoroughly evaluated the articles published in the Journal of Periodontology (JOP) and the Journal of Maxillofacial Implants (JOMI) using the key words "implant," "short implant," "finite element analysis," "FEA," "stress-strain distribution," "long imp," and "standard imp." Of the obtained articles, English articles published between 1996 and 2018 were selected for further evaluation. Mechanical factors such as increasing the length and diameter of implants and decreasing the C/I ratio as well as splinting the implants decrease the level of stress in the implant supporting bone. Thus, one or a combination of the aforementioned mechanical factors must be considered in cases where the level of stress in the peri-implant bone needs to be decreased due to the poor quality of bone or use of short implants.