What Researchers Did
The researchers searched four databases for studies on dental implants in people with head and neck tumours, then combined the results to estimate how many implants survived and what factors were linked to survival.
What They Found
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies (2,448 patients, 10,164 implants) found a pooled implant survival rate of 88% (95% CI: 85-90%), with very high variation between studies (I² = 94.9%). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 12 years. Implant survival was lower in irradiated bone than in non-irradiated bone (18 studies, RR 0.95; p = 0.03) and lower in grafted bone than in native bone (15 studies, RR 0.92; p = 0.0008). Implants in the front of the mouth had higher survival than those in the back (6 studies, RR 1.07; p = 0.008). Survival was higher in patients who had hyperbaric oxygen therapy than in those who did not (5 studies, RR 1.47; 95% CI 1.06-2.03; p = 0.02).
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For people with head and neck tumours who are considering dental implants, the abstract reports that radiation and bone grafting were linked to modest drops in implant survival. It reports that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was linked to higher survival, based on only five studies with high variation between them (I² = 91%). The authors say this finding needs confirmation in larger and randomized trials, so it does not show that the therapy caused the difference.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
The studies differed a lot from one another (I² = 94.9% overall), the survival rate was a crude proportion rather than a time-specific estimate, the hyperbaric oxygen finding rested on only five studies, and the review was registered retrospectively.