Clinical behaviour and complications of CAD-CAM subperiosteal implants supporting fixed partial restorations: a...

CAD-CAM subperiosteal implants (SPIs) offer a therapeutic solution for edentulous patients with severe bone atrophy. However, scientific evidence of their clinical performance for fixed partial restorations (FPRs) is scarce. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the clinical performance of SPIs supporting FPRs, focusing on survival rates and associated biological and mechanical complications. A scoping review using PRISMA-ScR methodology was conducted, searching the online databases MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Studies that evaluated clinical performance of CAD-CAM SPIs supporting FPRs with at least three patients and follow up of at least one year were included. The search yielded seven articles, which included 96 patients with a total of 121 SPIs. The weighted mean survival rate was 99.17%, with one failure reported in an anterior maxillary restoration. The complication rate was 4.13% for biological complications (wound dehiscence, bone loss, and implant exposure), and 7.44% for mechanical complications (provisional restoration fracture, implant instability, and re-cementing of crowns) over follow-up periods ranging from one to four years. SPIs supporting FPRs may offer a reliable alternative for the restoration of severe bone atrophy, achieving a high survival rate. The complication rate obtained was relatively low. However, the results of this review should be treated with caution, as data were drawn from a small, heterogeneous sample. Studies comparing SPIs supporting FPRs with other techniques are needed to determine their viability in different clinical scenarios.