Implant treatment in patients with severe hypodontia: a retrospective evaluation

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the result of implant treatment in patientswith severe hypodontia and compare some basic characteristics of patients with severe hypodontia whoreceived conventional dental treatment or no treatment at all with those who were treated in combinationwith endosseous implants.
Patients and Methods: All patients who had been referred to an academic center of special dental carebetween 1990 and 2008 and who had been classified at their first visit as having "oligodontia" or "severehypodontia" were selected from the hospital’s database. Their charts were reviewed, and surgica treatment details and outcomes of the implants were registered from those patients who receivedendosseous implants.
Results: Of the 294 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 44 patients were treated in combinationwith endosseous implants. The cumulative chance of implant survival of the 214 placed implants after5 years was 89.8% (SE, 2.6%), with a mean observation period of 2.9 years (minimum, 0.1 years;maximum, 18.3 years). No implants failed thereafter. Patients who received implants were missing fewerteeth and were treated more recentlycompared with those who received conventional restorative treatment or no treatment at all.
Conclusion: Considering the compromised anatomic situation and the complexity of treatment, a 5-year survival rate of 89.8% in patients with severe hypodontia, as seen in this study, is regarded asacceptable.