Success of dental implants: Must-know prognostic factors

Abstract

Dentitions damaged by periodontal disease and dental caries often cause problems to the patients and to the dentists, at least regarding the choice of therapy. A recent trend in the replacement of missing teeth is by dental implant. The role of various factors that would affect the prognosis of dental implants should be carefully considered before attempting to rehabilitate the patients with implants. Prognosis is a prediction of probable course, duration, and outcome of a specific disease based on a general knowledge of the pathogenesis of the disease and presence of risk factors for the disease. Factors that could determine the prognosis of implants are (1) periodontally compromised patients, (2) age, (3) bone density, (4) occlusion, (5) smoking, (6) genetics, (7) systemic diseases, (8) microorganisms, (9) antibiotics, and (10) type of implants.