Oral implant restoration for enhanced oral function.

1. The present paper reviews the clinical applications of implant-anchored restorations replacing teeth and defects of the craniofacial skeleton resultant from congenital, traumatic and surgical tissue loss. 2. Different categories of tooth and tissue loss were treated in controlled multicentre prospective clinical trials. More recent developments have been the subject of limited pilot studies. 3. Long-term results and meta-analysis reviews have shown that osseointegrated implant-supported restorations were at least equal to, and in some applications superior to, traditional treatment methods. 4. Based on the outcome of a 30 year research and development programme and validation in numerous clinical trials, osseointegrated implant dental rehabilitation has become a viable treatment alternative for missing teeth and, for some applications, is considered to be a standard of care.