Effective modalities to manage the failure of dental implants in pediatric patients

Pediatric patients with missing tooth pose a challenge to a dental clinician for the effective, functional, esthetic, and durable restoration and rehabilitation. There is a range of various prosthetic treatment options for such a dental condition, such as removable or fixed prosthesis. However, these prostheses are not much clinically effective, efficient, and durable and show low compliance, particularly in pediatric patients. In recent decades, dental implants have emerged as a boon for dentistry. Implants are superior in terms of functions, esthetics, durability, and compliance in adult patients than removable or fixed prosthesis. However, literature reveals that implants in pediatric patients (adolescents) have certain limitations/drawbacks, particularly dental occlusion problems (i.e., infraocclusion), which are due to the active growth phase of the bone and ankylosis of the implant. It is imperative to address the dental occlusion-related problems of implants in growing pediatric patients for achieving clinical success in adulthood phase when growth of the maxillofacial region ceases. Hence, this comprehensive and critical review has been conducted with the aim to explore the dental literature about the possible solutions (approaches/techniques) for the effective management of implant failure in growing pediatric patients. This review article will aid dental professionals including implantologists and pediatric dentists to consider the use of dental implants in adolescent pediatric patients for prosthetic rehabilitation. This article aims to review the relevant literature and highlight the possible ways (techniques) to manage the manifestations of implant failure after growth cessation.