Dental implants placed in resorbed alveolar ridges reconstructed with iliac crest autogenous onlay grafts: A 26-year median follow-up retrospective study

Purpose

To evaluate the long-term outcome of dental implants placed with a staged procedure in resorbed alveolar ridges reconstructed with iliac crest autogenous onlay grafts.

Materials and methods

All consecutive patients treated with iliac crest onlay bone grafts and dental implants were retrospectively evaluated. During the appointment, clinical and radiological examinations were conducted to assess implant survival. A survived implant was defined as an implant still stable and in function at the follow-up visit. Implant survival was estimated at the implant level using Kaplan-Meier analyses. The cumulative survival rate was estimated using a life-table analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed for age, position, and type of retention using the log-rank test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The cohort consisted of 21 female subjects receiving a total of 140 rough-surface titanium implants. Of them, 128 survived and 12 failed, yielding a cumulative survival rate of 91.1% over a median survival time of 312 months. Implants supporting cement-retained prostheses exhibithed lower survival rate compared to screw-retained restorations (p = 0.001).

Conclusion

Implants placed in bone augmented with iliac crest onlay grafts showed high long-term survival rates. Cement-retained restorations were more prone to develop implant failures.