Narrow Implants and Overdentures in the Total Rehabilitation of Atrophic Edentulous Jaws: Review of Clinical Aspects with Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: The present study analyzes the clinical aspects of the use of small-diameter implants for the fixation of total overdenture-type prostheses on both totally edentulous dental arches. Materials and methods: This is a review of all randomized controlled trials of at least ten patients with a control group in which at least two narrow implants were placed, published between January 2010 and July 2023. Most databases were analyzed, and clinical studies involving the insertion of at least two narrow implants (<3.5 mm in diameter) were analyzed. Results: Studies showed that the survival rate of narrow implants varied from 78% to 100%. Conclusions: The results indicated that narrow-type implants have satisfactory and predictable clinical performance for the long-term stability of overdenture-type prostheses.