Restorative-based treatment planning: determining adequate support for implant-retained fixed restorations

Brånemark provided the dental profession with guidelines for treatment planning the rehabilitation of edentulous patients with endosseous dental implants in the early 1980s. As oral implantology expanded to include the restoration of partially edentulous patients, treatment planning became increasingly more difficult. With the treatment of various areas of the mouth with combinations of implants and natural teeth, the question of how many implants would be necessary to support a given restorative situation took on added significance. A set of guidelines is presented for treatment planning partially edentulous restorations to determine the minimum number of implants recommended.