The Use of Splinted Versus Nonsplinted Prosthetic Design in Dental Implants: A Literature Review.

The choice of a splinted or nonsplinted implant-supported prosthesis should be based on solid scientific evidence that considers the conditions and needs of each patient. This review elaborates on the factors that directly influence clinical decisions between splinted or nonsplinted dental implants. Digital and manual searches of the published literature were conducted to identify studies that examined splinted prostheses (SPs) and nonsplinted prostheses (NSPs). The search terms used, alone or in combination, were "splinting prosthesis," "nonsplinting prosthesis," "prosthetic design," "stress distribution in dental implant," "implant loading," "implant occlusion," and "crestal bone resorption." Ninety-four studies were selected to compare and address the details emphasized in this study. Thirty-four reported articles were not directly related to restoration design but were reviewed to better understand the influence of mechanical risk factors, finite element analysis limits, and criteria for implant survival and treatment success. There are advantages and disadvantages of splinting implants together. NSPs are the ideal choice because they resemble natural teeth. Splinting a restored implant will cause the implant to appear as part of one unit and is indicated in more compromised situations, unfavorable conditions, or when pontic spaces and cantilevers are needed in implant prostheses.

A Modified Technique for Simplifying Full-Arch Screw-Retained Implant Rehabilitation With Rapid Digital Conversion: A Case Report.

In this case report, a new modified technique is described for an efficient, simple, and effective digital approach to immediate provisionalization of the implant-supported full-arch prosthesis. Today's patient population is increasingly educated about treatment options and expects efficient, esthetic, and comfortable results. This novel technique delivers on these aims while eliminating the many challenges posed by previously described digital and analog techniques to the immediate provisionalization of the implant-supported full-arch prosthesis. This technique requires minimal chair time and cost to the provider and reduces patient discomfort and complication risk. This technique therefore presents a promising new protocol for this popular procedure.

Complete oral rehabilitation of a postresection ameloblastoma patient: a clinical case report.

Conventional ameloblastomas are rare, benign, epithelial odontogenic tumors that tend to grow slowly in the mandible or maxilla, but are locally invasive and can be highly destructive of the surrounding dental anatomy. Aggressive resection is the most effective method of eliminating the tumors, but treatment can further contribute to patient deformity and malfunction. Ameloblastomas also have a high rate of recurrence, which significantly diminishes 8 years after resection, but still requires vigilant clinical monitoring. This case report describes the complete oral rehabilitation of a postresection ameloblastoma patient with a mandibular reconstruction plate and partial edentulism. An autogenous graft was taken from the patient's iliac crest, shaped to fit the defect, and attached with bone screws. After graft incorporation, dental implants were successfully placed into the augmented ridge and restored with a fixed partial denture. There was no evidence of tumor recurrence during the 10 months of treatment or 8 years of subsequent clinical monitoring.

Socket repair utilizing collagen membrane and mineralized allograft in the esthetic zone: a case report.

As the number of patients seeking implants increases, so do the esthetic challenges. Adequate bone is necessary to place an implant with an esthetically pleasing outcome. Failing teeth that require implant replacement often have bony deficiencies, and several surgical techniques have been advocated for maintaining bone volume at the time of extraction. This case report utilized a predictable conservative technique for treating a facial bony defect prior to implant surgery. Atraumatic flapless tooth extraction and the placement of a resorbable collagen membrane and mineralized allograft allowed for adequate regeneration of the alveolar socket prior to implant placement. The dentition was later restored with a zirconia abutment and crown. Socket repair utilizing this technique was a clinically acceptable method for obtaining an esthetic implant restoration.

Three-year analysis of tapered screw vent implants placed into maxillary sinuses grafted with mineralized bone allograft.

With an increase in the number of patients presenting for dental implant treatment, it is becoming more common for clinicians to encounter inadequate bone volume. Several surgical techniques have been advocated for placing dental implants in the posterior maxilla, including the lateral window sinus elevation technique. This article reports the results of implants placed into maxillary sinuses grafted with particulate mineralized cancellous bone allograft alone or in combination with resorbable hydroxyapatite over a 3-year period. A total of 56 sinuses were grafted, and 136 dental implants were placed into the grafted sites after a 4- to 8-month healing period. All reentries revealed a bony hard structure acceptable for osteotomy preparation. Of these implants, 124 have been restored with fixed prosthesis and 12 with removable overdentures for a total of 136 loaded implants. A total of 3 implants required removal (failure) resulting in a 97.7% implant success rate (2.3% failure rate). A conclusion was made that mineralized human allograft, placed into lateral window sinus elevations, is a clinically predicable method acceptable for implant placement and restoration.

Retrospective Study of Tapered One-Piece Implants Placed Over a Ten-Year Period in a Single Private Practice.

Today, clinicians have a variety of treatment modalities available to address the increasing number of implant procedures performed each year. Single-stage implant surgery is now commonly used in implant dentistry. With patients' demands for immediate restoration, the utilization of 1-piece implants is gaining acceptance. This article reports the results of tapered 1-piece implants (Zimmer Biomet) placed in a single practice over a 10-year period. A total of 33 1-piece dental implants were placed in 24 patients and provisionally restored out of occlusion at the time of surgery. All 33 implants were definitively restored with ceramometal crowns after 3 months of provisionalization. Implant survival and success rates were 100% after 2.6-10 years of follow-up. Only 1 minor complication of crestal bone remodeling occurred among the 33 implants placed. Adequately stabilized tapered 1-piece implants can be successfully restored out of occlusion at the time of implant placement and definitively loaded in occlusion 3 months without adversely affecting function or esthetics. Additional long-term controlled studies are recommended to further understand these findings.

Three-year analysis of Tapered Screw-Vent implants placed into extraction sockets grafted with mineralized bone allograft.

With clinicians placing more dental implants, it is becoming increasingly important to maintain bone volume after tooth extraction. This article reports the results of implants placed into extraction sites grafted with particulate mineralized bone allograft (Puros). A total of 313 extraction sites were grafted with mineralized bone graft during a 36-month period. A total of 252 Tapered Screw-Vent dental implants were placed into the grafted extraction sites after a 4- to 7-month healing period. All reentries revealed a bony hard structure acceptable for osteotomy preparation. A total of 244 of these implants have been restored with fixed prosthesis and 6 with removable overdentures for a total of 250 loaded implants. A total of 6 implants failed, which required their removal (2 implants before load and 4 after loading), resulting in a 97.6% implant success rate. We conclude that mineralized human allograft placed into extraction sites is clinically useful to maintain bone volume. This material provided a bony hard structure acceptable for implant placement with good success rates.

Analysis of HA-coated subperiosteal implants.

Bone atrophy is often encountered in the endentulous patient. With many clinicians performing bone grafting and augmentation techniques, there appears to be a decreased use of the subperiosteal implant modality for prosthetic stabilization. In recent years, there seems to be a decreasing number of literature reports and fewer academic presentations about the subperiosteal implant technique. Additionally, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry deleted this requirement for fellowship in its bylaws at its 1999 annual meeting. The purpose of this paper is to present the success and complication rates of 22 hydroxyapatite-coated subperiosteal implants placed over a 10-year period. Correlations between arch type and full vs unilateral subperiosteal implant cases are analyzed.

Human histologic analysis of mineralized bone allograft (Puros) placement before implant surgery.

Because clinicians are placing more dental implants, it is becoming more important to maintain bone volume after tooth extraction. This article discusses the various bone-augmentation materials available to the clinician and illustrates a case report of particulate mineralized bone allograft (Puros) placement after extraction. Exposure of the grafted site after 5 months revealed a hard bony structure. Human histologic analysis at the light microscopic level revealed nonvital spicules of mature calcified bone having a highly organized matrix surrounded by viable noncalcified immature bone matrix, or osteoid. It was concluded that mineralized human allograft demonstrated the formation or remodeling of bone histologically and was clinically useful to maintain bone volume for implant placement after extraction. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first publication to demonstrate human histology of particulate mineralized bone allograft (Puros) after placement into an extraction site.