Scientific Journal Articles And Ongoing Research: Analysis of 356 pterygomaxillary implants in edentulous arches for fixed prosthesis anchorage
Int. J. Oral Maxillofacial Implants. 1999 May-Jun;14(3):398-406.
Wolfinger GJ, Balshi SF 2nd
Institute for Facial Esthetics, Prosthodontics Intermedica, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, USA.
One thousand eight hundred seventeen implants were placed in the completely edentulous maxillae of 189 patients (122 female; 67 male). The patients’ mean age was 60 years (range 28 to 91 years). Three hundred fifty-six of the 1,817 implants were placed in the pterygomaxillary area, and all patients were restored with complete-arch fixed detachable prostheses. The mean number of implants per maxillary prosthesis was 9.0 (range 6 to 15). During stage II surgery and before loading, 41 pterygomaxillary implants (11.5%) were not osseointegrated and were removed. After a mean loading period of 4.68 years (range 0.06 to 9.20 years), 1 additional pterygomaxillary implant was lost. Altogether, 42 of 356 pterygomaxillary implants (11.8%) were removed. Survival rates according to implant size, bone quality, and tooth position were also recorded. This study illustrates a cumulative survival rate of 88.2% for pterygomaxillary site implant placement in edentulous maxillary arches.