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Single versus splinted short implants at sinus augmented sites: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Kelvin I Afrashtehfar1, Joannis Katsoulis2, Sreenivas Koka3
1Department of Reconstructive Dentistry & Gerodontology, School of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland; Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, School of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland; Division of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Ajman University, 346 Ajman City, UAE; Department of Restorative Dentistry, Edinburgh Dental Institute, University of Edinburgh, College of Medicine and Veterinary, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9HA, UK; Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Short dental implants (less than 10mm) in sinus augmented sites show similar survival rates whether restored with single or splinted prostheses. Caution is advised due to limited evidence, but short implants in these sites appear successful.
Area of Science:
- Dental Implantology
- Oral Surgery
- Prosthodontics
Background:
- Maxillary sinus augmentation is a common procedure to increase bone volume for dental implant placement.
- The use of short dental implants (less than 10mm) in augmented sites aims to avoid complex grafting procedures.
- Evaluating the long-term success of these short implants restored with different prosthetic options is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the success, survival, and failure rates of dental implants shorter than 10mm placed in maxillary sinus augmented sites.
- To compare outcomes between single-unit and splinted fixed dental prostheses used to restore these short implants.
- To assess patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for these treatment modalities.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases up to September 2019, supplemented by a hand search.
- Inclusion criteria focused on primary studies with a minimum 1-year follow-up, reporting on short implants in sinus augmented sites restored with single or splinted prostheses.
- Weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) and meta-analysis were used to evaluate implant survival rates and failure risks.
Main Results:
- Two observational studies involving 106 short implants (5-9mm) were included.
- A 16% higher failure possibility was observed for single crowns compared to splinted crowns, though this was not statistically significant (RR=1.16, p=0.58).
- No statistically significant difference in implant survival rates was found between single and splinted prostheses (p=0.923).
Conclusions:
- Short dental implants (<10mm) in sinus augmented sites demonstrate comparable clinical outcomes up to 9 years, regardless of whether they are restored with single or splinted prostheses.
- The findings suggest that short implants are a viable option in these challenging anatomical locations.
- Conclusions should be interpreted with caution due to the low to fair level of evidence and the limited number of studies included in this review.
