Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Short Implants Versus Conventional Implants in the Posterior Mandible

Background: Because of the posterior mandible’s shortened vertical bone height, using dental implants, there comes with special difficulties. It has been suggested that using short implants (≤8 mm) would prevent the need for subsequent surgical operations such as bone grafting. In total, 180 implants were inserted into the posterior mandible in 120 individuals who were part of this retrospective cohort research. Ninety patients in the short implant group (implants ≤8 mm) and 90 patients in the standard implant group (implants ≥10 mm) were split into two groups. Expert medical professionals installed all of the implants, and fixed prostheses were used to repair them. Over a 5-year follow-up period, clinical indicators such as implant survival rate, marginal bone loss (MBL), probing depth (PD), and patient satisfaction were evaluated. Results: Whereas conventional implants showed a survival rate of 95.6% (P = 0.42), the survival rate of short implants was 92.5%. The standard implant group (mean MBL: 1.0 mm) and the short implant group (mean MBL: 1.3 mm) had somewhat increased bone loss, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.15). The two groups’ mean probing depth and patient satisfaction ratings were similar, with 2.6 mm for short implants and 2.4 mm for traditional implants (P = 0.38). Both implant types showed good clinical results overall with little side effects. Conclusion: Comparing short implants to standard implants in the posterior mandible, comparable long-term clinical results are shown. Short implants are a good substitute even if they have a little greater bone loss rate. This is especially true when there is a restricted vertical bone height.