Abstract
BACKGROUND: The 10-year survival rate of dental implants in healthy subjects is 90-95%. While in healthy individuals, dental implants have become commonplace to solve problems of edentulism, whether dental implant treatment is optimal in patients with systemic disease remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical outcomes of tapered, sand-blasted, and acid-etched internal submerged dental implants installed in medically compromised patients in our maxillofacial surgical unit. METHODS: A total of 1019 Luna® dental implants were placed in 333 patients at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Seoul National University Dental Hospital. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates after 10 years of follow-up were computed for healthy vs. medically compromised patients. RESULTS: The 10-year follow-up survival rate of 1019 Luna® dental implants in the Korean maxillofacial surgical unit was 97.0% with a mean follow-up of 41.13 ± 35.13 months (0-120 months). The survival rate was 97.0%, in which 31 implants were failed during the follow-up. Cumulative 10-year implant survival rates were 99.4% in healthy individuals without systemic disease and 95.9% in patients with systemic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Comparable success and survival rates were achieved with those of implants in healthy patients. Preoperative general health assessments including laboratory test results and checking the previous medication records are essential in diagnosing any unrecognized conditions for improved implant success rates in medically compromised patients.