What Researchers Did
Researchers retrospectively studied 36 irradiated patients who received 198 dental implants for oral function reconstruction between 2004 and 2011 to assess long-term success.
What They Found
The overall implant success rate was 93.6% over 10 years, with 38 implants failing out of 198. Patients required prosthodontic intervention 0.19 times per year, and all reported satisfaction with the oral restoration results.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients who have undergone radiation for maxillofacial tumors may benefit from dental implant-supported dentures for oral function restoration. This approach appears to offer high long-term success and patient satisfaction.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective study, it is subject to inherent biases and lacks a control group for comparison.