Wide-diameter implants: new concepts.

At the end of the 1980s, it was suggested that wide-diameter implants be used to better the prognosis in cases in which the condition of the supporting bone is unfavorable. Technical improvements associated with different shapes and materials used for implants have led to an evolution of our concepts of surgical and prosthetic treatments. The aim of these new suggestions is to optimize the functional and esthetic result while respecting the fundamental principles of osseointegration. Up to the present time, very few studies have been published on wide-diameter implants. However, the short- and medium-term results that have been reported have been very satisfactory.