Osseointegrated implants for partially edentulous patients. Interim considerations.

Osseointegration is a clinical application of a biologically investigated host bone response to the placement of threaded unalloyed titanium implants using a meticulous surgical procedure. Its documented successful use as an analogue for the periodontal ligament in endentulous patients has already profoundly altered the predicament of being edentulous. Its application as a treatment modality for partial edentulism offers exciting challenges for the dentist. This article reviewed preliminary experiences from the University of Toronto's Clinical Osseointegration Unit in this area. Although it is tempting to extrapolate the successful longitudinal clinical applications with edentulous patients to partially edentulous ones, discretion and prudence demand that dentists remember that osseointegration for routine treatment of partially edentulous patients is still in its infancy. Until the results from long-term clinical trials in different centres are published, the dental profession cannot yet subsume the versatility and routine application of this exciting technique.

Use of provisional prostheses with osseointegration.

The ingenuity that has characterized the fabrication of provisional prostheses has been readily adapted to the osseointegration technique. Implant abutments do not need protection during final prosthesis fabrication stages as teeth do. However, compelling arguments can be made in favor of esthetic, comfortable, and functional provisional prostheses supported by implants, even if they are worn for only a few weeks. The prosthodontic contribution to a patient's quality of life throughout all stages of treatment is thereby enhanced.