Clinical Success of Screw-retained Dental Implants: A Systematic Review

The objective of the research was to review the literature on clinical evaluation and success of screw-retained dental implants by assessing the marginal bone loss (MBL).

Online electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library were searched using appropriate keywords for the last 20 years, dated from January 1, 2000, till August 1, 2021, with a restriction on language. Additional sources like major journals, unpublished studies, conference proceedings, and cross-references were explored. Information curated for data extraction included methodology, population, type of implants used, and duration of follow-up.

The PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and additional sources identified a huge number, out of which 637 search results were screened, out of which 322 were duplicates. The remaining 315 unique studies were screened for the titles and abstracts, and 23 articles were selected for full-text screening. A total of six articles that matched the eligibility criteria were processed for qualitative analysis.

Despite the uncertain retrievability of screw-retained implant-supported fixed restorations, this treatment option in fixed implant prosthodontics is a reliable and effective choice, especially for implant-supported long-span fixed partial dentures (FPDs), full-arch FPDs, and cantilever FPDs.