A 3-year prospective cohort study on mandibular anterior cantilever restorations associated with screw-retained implant-supported prosthesis: An in vivo study.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the survival of single implant supported cantilever prosthesis (ISCP) replacing missing two adjacent natural teeth in the anterior mandible.

SETTINGS AND

DESIGN

In vivo - Prospective cohort study.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Thirty patients with missing both mandibular central incisors were selected. A single implant was used to replace the missing teeth and restored with cantilever screw-retained prosthesis. Twenty-two patients were followed for 3 years for the implant and prosthetic success.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Weibull test for survival probability.

RESULTS

Survival probability of the ISCP for the first 100 days was found to be 97.55%, for 200 days, it was 71.4%, for 250 days, it was 46%, and for 365 days, it was 3.9%, i.e., 20 prosthesis had screw loosening after prosthetic loading. However, it increased to 95.2% at the end of 3 years.

CONCLUSION

Screw-retained ISCP developed early technical complications. After prosthetic loading, the survival probability of the screw-retained ISCP was very low (3.9%) at one year, which increased to 95.2% after retightening and retorquing of the abutment screw, porcelain repair and conformation of the tongue to the prosthesis. The most common prosthetic failure was screw loosening (81%), followed by porcelain fracture (14.3%), and implant survival of 95% at the end of three years.