What Researchers Did
This review article summarized existing research on using dental implants to restore patients who had received radiation therapy for head and neck cancers.
What They Found
The review found that radiation therapy generally lowered implant success rates, with outcomes varying by location in the craniofacial skeleton. Implants in the anterior mandible showed high success rates of 94% to 100% with a minimal risk of osteoradionecrosis. Success rates ranged from 69% to 95% in the irradiated maxilla and 91% to 100% in the temporal bone, but decreased significantly in the frontal bone over time, from 96% to 33%.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients who have undergone head and neck radiation, this review highlights the varied success of dental implants in irradiated tissues. While some areas like the anterior mandible show good outcomes, others like the frontal bone have poor long-term success. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is sometimes used to improve tissue health in irradiated areas and may be considered to enhance implant success or prevent complications like osteoradionecrosis.
Canadian Relevance
The study itself is not Canadian. However, it covers osteoradionecrosis, which is a Health Canada-recognized indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
The authors noted that the small number of implants and patients in the reviewed studies prevented them from drawing definitive conclusions about implant effectiveness in irradiated tissues.