Implants in handicapped patients.

Implantology as an approach for replacing missing teeth has become a generalized practice in recent years. The present study describes the results of placing 67 implants in 18 patients with various degrees of mental and physical impediments. Only four implants were lost, though in all cases fixed-prosthesis oral rehabilitation was achieved -- the implant failure rate (5.6%) being similar to that observed in healthy individuals. A description is provided of the course of different clinical cases illustrating the rehabilitation process, from implant placement to completion of the prosthesis. In our opinion, implantology may constitute a valid management alternative to be taken into consideration in the oral rehabilitation of handicapped patients. The use of implants should be evaluated taking into account the particular characteristics of each individual patient.