Prognosis of implants and abutment teeth under combined tooth‐implant‐supported and solely implant‐supported double‐crown‐retained removable dental prostheses

Abstract Objective Objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of complications in dental implants and abutment teeth used for combined tooth‐implant‐ and solely implant‐supported double crown‐retained removable dental prostheses ( RDP s). Material and methods Patients were selected from a prospective clinical study. Seventy‐three RDP s retained by 234 implants and 107 abutment teeth were placed in 39 men and 22 women with a mean age of 65 years. Forty‐five RDP s were located in the maxilla and 28 in the mandible. Thirty‐four RDP s were solely implant‐supported and 39 were combined tooth‐implant‐supported. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to estimate success defined as survival without severe abutment‐related complications, and Cox regression was used to isolate the most relevant prognostic risk factors. Results After a median observation period of 2.7 years for the RDP s, six implants failed and eleven implants were diagnosed with peri‐implantitis. Four abutment teeth were extracted, and three abutment teeth showed severe complications requiring extended interventions. For both abutment teeth and implants, Kaplan–Meier analyses revealed a 5‐year probability of success of 85% for solely implant‐supported RDP s and 92% for combined tooth‐implant‐supported RDP s. Multiple Cox regression identified RDP location ( P = 0.01), age ( P = 0.01), and gender ( P = 0.04) as prognostic risk factors for severe implant‐related complications. Solely implant‐supported RPD s showed a poorer prognosis, but the risk difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Preliminary data suggest that the combination of teeth and implants to support double crown‐retained RDP s may result in a prognostic advantage. The present findings should be validated in independent studies.