Osseointegrated implants for single tooth replacement in general practice: A 1-year report from a multicentre prospective study

The single tooth implant is a treatment option for the replacement of missing single teeth and in many cases is the treatment of choice. It is, however, an expensive treatment requiring a co-ordinated approach to the surgical and restorative aspects of treatment. In this study, a group of dentists in general and restorative dental practice and with no previous experience in implant surgery underwent an intensive training course in all aspects of implant treatment for single teeth. Using a system of simplified instrumentation with a strict adherence to protocol, the group installed and restored single tooth implants ad modum Brånemark in a wide range of clinical situations. At the one year follow-up period following crown insertion, the success rate of treatment compared favourably with results reported from centres using the specialist team approach to treatment. The results of this study indicate that further consideration should be given to the training of general dentists so that improved delivery of dental health care can be provided at a more economic level.