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PUBLISHED IN DUBAI www.dental-tribune.me July-August 2017 | No. 4, Vol. 7 Germanys fi rst implantologist Prof. Dr Hans L. Grafelmann turns 92 By DTI The founder of dental implantology in Germany, Prof. Dr Hans L. Grafel- mann, today looks back on a full and eventful life. In 1968, he pioneered in placing Germany’s fi rst dental im- plants in the form of extension im- plants in his dental practice. Today, his former patient still carries her fully functional dentures. In fact, Prof. Dr Grafelmann’s CV, the resume of a dentist, an inventor, a patent holder, specialist author and the editor of the fi rst implantological specialist magazine “Orale Implan- tologie”, is a whirl of plans and activi- ties. In January 1970, along with six co-founders, he established Europe’s oldest specialist society for dental implantology in Bremen/Germany: the DGZI e.V. (German Association of Dental Implantology. His inter- national engagement and persever- ance in gaining acknowledgement for dental implantology and implant prosthetics are unceasing. In Ger- many alone, he held and headed 25 educational implant congresses in the years between 1970 and 1993. In all of his endeavors, he is moti- vated by the fundamental principle that implant therapy will serve the purpose of a worldwide improve- ment of people’s quality of life. His experience as a dental specialist has taught him that often, implants have a longer functional life than the natural dentition. To this date, Prof. Dr Grafelmann advocates the addi- tion of oral implantology to academ- ic education, always also arguing for a close connection to the dental practice: “The best place to learn and teach is the dental chair in which we operate.” This philosophy of dedication, fu- ture- and patient-oriented science and practice-oriented education is the legacy which Prof. Dr Grafel- mann will leave to dental and im- plantological experts worldwide, to- gether with his extensive knowledge and experience. On 16 February 2017, he celebrated his 92nd birthday. Obstructive Sleep Apnea causes Complications in implant-borne prostheses By DTI Researchers from OSI Araba Uni- versity Hospital in Victoria, Spain, published a study that investigated how Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects implant-borne prostheses. The frequency with which a com- plication occurred and the type of complication were studied in 67 pa- tients. Contradictory to their initial hypothesis, the researchers found a high instance of complications re- lated to OSA. Of the 67 patients included in the study, the researchers found that 16 experienced complications; 13 of which had OSA. Among these 16 patients with complications, there were 22 prostheses with a total of 30 issues. The researchers found these complications consisted of porce- lain fracture, fracture of the screw/ implant, loosening of the screw, and decementation. The average time for a complication to occur was 73 months’ post-implantation. During the study, the researchers also noted a strong relation between individu- als who suffer from OSA and those who suffer from bruxism. Past stud- ies revealed that those affl icted with bruxism had a higher instance (6/10) of complications with implant pros- theses than those without bruxism (13/75). This shows that people suffer- ing from OSA and/or bruxism have a more diffi cult time with successful prosthetic implantation. This study shows that 81 per cent of patients with OSA experienced com- plications with their prostheses. Giv- en that the success rate of implants is reported to be between 92 and 97 per cent, there is a strong correlation between OSA and prosthetic compli- cations.