Five- to six-year results of a prospective clinical trial using the ENDOPORE® dental implant and a mandibular overdenture

This report is an update on a group of 46 clinical trial patients who each received 3 free-standing Endopore (R) dental implants placed using a 2-stage surgical approach in the anterior mandible. After an initial healing interval of 10 weeks, the implants were used in each case to retain an overdenture, and at the time of the report, all patients had passed 5 years of continuous function. The 5-year cumulative "survival" rate based on a life table analysis was 93.4% and this remained unchanged after 6 years. The 5-year "success rate" was 83.3% when assessed qualitatively with the published criteria of others using a four-held table analysis categorizing every implant in the study as one of "Grade 1 Success", "survival", "unaccounted for" or "failure". Modified periodontal parameters verified continued peri-implant soft tissue health. No implant still in function had more than 1.8 mm cumulative bone loss during the first 5 years of function. These results provide clear evidence that Endopore (R) implants despite their short lengths function at least as well as other dental implant designs used in much longer lengths.