implants - international magazine of oral implantology International Edition

_Looking at the recent publications in implant dentistry, we see an increased interest in short im- plants.Whatcanbeconsideredashortimplantand whatdoyouthinkisdrivingtheprofessionalinterest intheseimplants? Therearedifferentdefinitionsforshortimplants. The EAO consensus conference defined them as 8mmandless.Thekeyinterestisthatwithshortim- plantsyoucanprovidelessinvasivetreatments.Fur- thermore, short implants can lead to fewer compli- cations and less morbidity. They decrease the costs, can deliver more predictable outcomes and are also easiertoperforminmanycases.Withshortimplants sometimes you need less complex diagnostics and yourunfewerrisks.Allthesefactorsmakeshortim- plants an attractive option, often providing a com- pletely different strategy for implant placement. _You mentioned many cases where short im- plantsmakeadifference.Whatdoyouseeasindica- tionsthatcanbetreatedwithashortimplant? Short implants would primarily be used in the posterior segment of the jaw, as in the anterior seg- ment there is generally a sufficient bone height for a regular implant. In addition, in atrophic mandible and maxillary, where the vertical space is limited, short implants are also very valuable. _The latest improvements in implant materials and surfaces promise higher osseointegration and mechanical stability of implants. Do you believe thesepropertiescancompensateforthesmallerim- plantdimensions? Yes, absolutely, this has clearly been demon- strated—medium-rough surfaces provide a better anchorage in the surrounding bone compared to smoother type of surfaces. This property is the key that makes shorter implants possible. Previous studieshaveshownthatshortimplantswith10mm or less had a lower rate of osseointegration and lower clinical success, but we don’t see the same in implants with medium-rough surfaces. Ithinkadvancesinimplantsurfacetechnologies offer the kind of anchorage that implants with more traditional surfaces could not achieve in the past. Hence, short implants can deliver a good an- chorage nowadays in situations with limited bone height. _What kind of indications do you see as a chal- lenge for this implant? Could a short implant be a goodalternativetoavoidverticalaugmentation? Most publications describe the use of the short implantsprimarilyintheposteriorregion.Shortim- plants are valuable in the maxilla to avoid sinus lift augmentation, while in the mandible they help to avoid vertical ridge augmentation. A challenging indication could be a patient re- quiring a short implant because of a reduced bone height, but still needing an additional augmenta- tion procedure due to the insufficient bone width. Alternatively, in the sinus area, in cases of soft bone, it would be difficult to get a good anchorage with a short implant. The healing time needs to be increasedandimplantloadingdelayedtoensurean undisturbed osseointegration process. _ThankyouProf.Hämmerle,doyouhaveanyad- ditionalcommentaboutshortimplants? Asimplanttechnologyprogresses,Iexpecttosee more innovative solutions which provide less inva- sive, less costly and more straightforward types of treatments. I believe such progress is in the interest of the dentist, the patient and the industry. I interview Short implants An interview with Prof. Dr Christoph Hämmerle, Switzerland Source_Institut Straumann AG 42 I implants1_2014 Prof. Dr Hämmerle