Update on guidelines for selecting appropriate patients to receive treatment with dental implants: priorities for the NHS--the position after 15 years.

In 1997 the Faculty of Dental Surgery (Royal College of Surgeons, England) as part of a wider publication produced guidance on prioritisation for the selection of patients to receive treatment with dental implants within the NHS in the UK (http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/fds/publications-clinical-guidelines/clinical_guidelines/index.html). This update considers eight main groups who may benefit from treatment with osseointegrated implants. Where patients are being considered for implant-based rehabilitation, treatment plans must be weighed up against the risks, benefits and outcomes outlined in evidence-based research.