Bone resorption around fixtures in edentulous patients treated with mandibular fixed tissue-integrated prostheses

Bone loss around osseointegrated titanium fixtures supporting mandibular fixed prostheses has been measured by means of stereoscopic intraoral radiography. Forty-six patients treated with the osseointegration implant method according to Brånemark have been followed for an observation period of up to 6 years. The bone loss was small, approximately 0.5 mm during the first postsurgical year and thereafter 0.06 to 0.08 mm annually. Poor oral hygiene and clenching of teeth significantly influenced bone loss. More bone was lost around the medial fixtures than around the more posterior ones.