The use of osseointegrated implants in the maxillary tuberosity

Because of the reduced amount of bone often found in the posterior maxilla, osseointegrated implants are rarely used distally to the first molar region. In order to provide adequate posterior support for a fixed bridge or a removable prosthesis and to avoid the potential problems related to cantilevers, a specific technique of placement is employed. This paper describes and evaluates a study on the clinical outcome of 65 osseointegrated implants using this technique, placed in 51 patients, with a maximum observation time of 4 years, in which the absolute success rate was 95%. Short-term results support the use of osseointegrated implants in the maxillary tuberosity. The learning objective of this article is to present this technique to a larger segment of the dental profession.