Combination of natural teeth and osseointegrated implants as prosthesis abutments: a 2-year longitudinal study.

Twenty-three patients with Kennedy Class I mandibular dentition were supplied with prostheses in the posterior parts of the mandible. On one side they were given a prosthesis supported by two implants (prosthesis Type I) and on the other side they received a prosthesis supported by one implant and one natural tooth (prosthesis Type II). Sixty-nine fixtures were inserted and 46 prostheses constructed. Eight of the fixtures were lost during the observation period. The failure rate of the implants was about the same in the two types of prostheses; five fixtures belonged to prostheses Type I (10.9%) and two fixtures belonged to prostheses Type II (8.7%), while one fixture was lost prior to loading. From a theoretical point of view, the combination of a tooth and an osseointegrated implant should encounter problems with regard to the difference in bone anchorage and there should be a risk of biomechanical complications. However, the results of this study did not indicate any disadvantages in connecting teeth and implants in the same restoration.