Dental implant placement through impacted teeth or residual roots as an alternative to invasive extraction surgeries: a systematic literature review

This work systematically reviews dental implant placement through impacted teeth or residual roots, as an alternative to invasive extraction surgeries, evaluated in terms of survival rates, marginal bone loss, surgical, and prosthetic complications. The authors conducted an electronic search of four databases up to September 2020; also a complementary handsearch was carried out. The quality of the included studies was assessed using a protocol for assessment of risk of bias in exposure studies. Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analysed. A total of 44 patients received 62 dental implants and were monitored for a minimum of 12-months follow-up. An overall mean implant survival rate was 90.32%, reporting 97.56 % for dental implants through impacted teeth and 76.19% through residual roots. No surgical or prosthetic complications were reported. Placing dental implants through impacted teeth may offer a valid therapeutic option for implant-supported restorations in patients for whom surgery and orthodontic traction are not possible, and/or patients who refuse to undergo more invasive extraction surgery. Moreover, additional caution is recommended when placing implants through retained root fragments, as this may involve long-term risk. Further research generating long-term data are needed to confirm these findings.