Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 4/2019 IMPLANT TRIBUNE C3 ◊Page C2 Fig. 20: One-year follow-up occlusal view Fig. 21: One-year follow-up lateral view Fig. 22: One-year follow-up radiograph expectations add new requirements to the definition of success and fail- ure. From a patient’s perspective, success may be defined by not only how functional and natural the out- come is, but also if the treatment re- quired fewer visits to the clinic. “Clinicians increasingly are using CAD/CAM materials and chairside systems, as well as digital workflows, especially for single-unit restora- tions. This has been shown to allow for cost-effective and efficient treat- ment protocols that improve patient satisfaction,” added Jarry. An enthusiastic response from clinicians In total, more than 100 clinicians have been working with BLX and have documented their results. A non-interventional multicentre clinical study, currently running, specifically details the new implant’s performance in the everyday prac- tice setting. “The related feedback is extremely positive,” said Dr George Raeber, Head of Global Product Manage- ment for the Straumann Dental Implant System. “An impressive amount of clinical data is already available as we begin to commercial- ise Straumann’s BLX. We sometimes prefer to go to market a little bit later, but with a rock-solid proposal.” “When I work with immediacy,” said Salvesen, “I want products that provide me with peace of mind in demanding clinical situations. Straumann BLX implants with Rox- olid and SLActive give me that confi- dence. BLX is exciting because it ex- tends the treatment options we can offer with Straumann products. It’s a new era of implant treatment.” Editorial note: The case study, titled “Pristine function and aesthetics: One- year follow-up of molar replacement with a new fully tapered implant sys- tem”, was published in Issue 1/19 of EDI Journal. Dental implants are medically advisable for patients with Sjögren’s syndrome By DTI MALMÖ/GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Up until now it was not known whether dental implants were successful in patients affected by Sjögren’s syndrome. In fact, many professionals advise against them, as they believe these patients have a higher risk of implant failure. How- ever, researchers at the universities of Malmö and Gothenburg in Swe- den have found that dental implants are a viable option for people with Sjögren’s syndrome, even though these patients may experience a higher marginal bone loss around their implants than others. Sjögren’s syndrome is a systemic disease characterised by the pro- gressive destruction of some glands, particularly those around the eyes and mouth. “It is known to reduce the saliva flow, resulting in a dry and very sensitive oral mucosa. Patients may more rapidly lose their teeth caused by caries and periodontitis compared with patients who are not affected by this disease,” co-author Dr Ann Wennerberg from the De- partment of Prosthodontics at Sahlg- renska Academy at the University of Gothenburg told DTI. “The very small amount of saliva results in a lack of necessary lubri- cation,” continued Wennerberg. She explained that this would cause the patient soreness and pain. “For patients with Sjögren’s syndrome removable dentures may be impos- sible to wear,” she added. As a result, many affected patients turn to den- tal implants. The researchers conducted the study in two parts. First, they reviewed a clinical series of 19 Sjögren’s patients who, together, had received 107 den- tal implants. Second, they conducted a review of published literature and assessed the cases of 186 patients who had received a total of 712 im- plants, of which 705 were followed up. Through the clinical series, the re- searchers found that, out of 19 pa- tients, two patients lost three im- plants, together, which led to a failure rate of 2.8 per cent. All failed implants were caused by a lack of osseointegra- tion. The implants were followed for a mean period of ten years. At the last follow-up, the mean marginal bone loss for patients was -2.19 mm. The re- search team estimated the marginal bone loss after 30 years at 4.39 mm. From the literature review, the re- searchers found that, out of the 705 implants—which were followed up for approximately six years—29 failed, resulting in a failure rate of 4.1 per cent. After conducting statistical analysis, researchers found that the probability of failure was 2.8 per cent. the results also demonstrate the marginal bone resorption to be higher than for patients without the syndrome. This is indicative for the need for regular control visits to the dentist and short intervals between appointments to a dental hygienist,” concluded Wennerberg. The study, “Dental implants in pa- tients with Sjögren’s syndrome: A case series and a systematic review”, was published online on 1 March 2019 in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, ahead of inclusion in an issue. When stratifying patients based on primary or secondary Sjögren’s syn- drome, the researchers found that those with primary disease had a lower failure rate of implants of 2.5 per cent compared with patients with secondary Sjögren’s syndrome. These patients showed a failure rate of 6.5 per cent. “The results show that a treatment with dental implants can be done with a good prognosis, in contrast to what has been feared. However, Long-term study investigates risk factors for short dental implants By DTI ANKARA, Turkey: The use of stand- ard dental implants has become a widely accepted treatment modal- ity for the rehabilitation of complete and partial edentulism. However, in severe alveolar resorption, standard- length implant placement is not pos- sible without additional surgical in- tervention. For such cases, the use of short implants is considered a major contribution to the field of implant dentistry. Now, a recent study has determined the risk factors for short dental implant survival. The study, conducted by the An- kara Yildirim Beyazit University in Ankara, the Cumhuriyet Univer- sity in Sivas in Turkey and a private dental practice in Ankara, aimed to identify the different implant- and patient-related risk factors for long- term short dental implant success. Through a retrospective chart review of three centres, patient information regarding demographic variables, smoking habits, history of periodon- titis and systemic diseases, and med- ications was collected. In addition, information was gathered relating to the parameters for short implant placement, including implant man- ufacturer, design, anatomical loca- tion, diameter and length, and type of placement. For the statistical analysis, univari- ate regression models were used at implant and patient levels. A total of 460 short implants—ranging from 4 to 9 mm in length—placed in 199 pa- tients and followed up for up to nine years were reviewed. Survival rates of the short implants were 95.86 per cent and 92.96 per cent and success rates were 90.00 per cent and 83.41 per cent for implant- and patient- based analysis, respectively. Peri-implantitis was reported as the cause of short dental implant failure in 73.91 per cent of the cases. Univari- ate regression models revealed that the female sex was strongly related to short implant success. In addition, smoking and a history of periodonti- tis were found to have a significant negative influence on short implant success at the implant and patient levels. These results support the use of short implants as a predictable long- term treatment option; however, smoking and a history of periodonti- tis are suggested to be the potential risk factors for short implant success. According to the researchers, these outcomes are consistent with the findings of other long-term studies. The study, titled “Risk factors associ- ated with short dental implant suc- cess: A long-term retrospective eval- uation of patients followed up for up to 9 years”, was published online in Brazilian Oral Research on 11 April 2019, ahead of inclusion in an issue. In a long-term study, researchers have reported high survival rates for short dental implants. k c o t s r e t t u h S / r o D n e D ©