Five- to six-year results of a prospective clinical trial using the ENDOPORE dental implant and a mandibular overdenture.

This report is an update on a group of 46 clinical trial patients who each received 3 free-standing Endopore dental implants placed using a 2-stage surgical approach in the anterior mandible. After an initial healing interval of 10 weeks, the implants were used in each case to retain an over-denture, and at the time of the report, all patients had passed 5 years of continuous function. The 5-year cumulative "survival" rate based on a life table analysis was 93.4% and this remained unchanged after 6 years. The 5-year "success rate" was 83.3% when assessed qualitatively with the published criteria of others using a four-field table analysis categorizing every implant in the study as one of "Grade 1 Success", "survival", "unaccounted for" or "failure". Modified periodontal parameters verified continued peri-implant soft tissue health. No implant still in function had more than 1.8 mm cumulative bone loss during the first 5 years of function. These results provide clear evidence that Endopore implants despite their short lengths function at least as well as other dental implant designs used in much longer lengths.