Five-Year Survival of Short Single-Tooth Implants (6 mm): A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial:

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether 6-mm dental implants in the posterior segments of either jaw perform equally well in terms of clinical and radiographic outcomes when compared with 10-mm implants after 5 y of loading. Patients with single-tooth gaps in the posterior area who were scheduled for implant therapy were randomly assigned to a group receiving either a 6- or 10-mm implant. After a healing period of 10 wk, implants were loaded with a screw-retained single crown and followed up at yearly intervals. Of 96 patients, 86 could be recalled after 5 y. The implant survival rates amounted to 91% (95% confidence interval: 0.836 to 0.998) for the 6-mm group and 100% for the 10-mm group (P = 0.036). Median crown-to-implant (C/I) ratios were 1.75 (interquartile range [IQR], 1.50 to 1.90) for the 6-mm group and 1.04 (IQR, 0.95 to 1.15) for the 10-mm group, whereas the median marginal bone levels measured −0.29 mm (IQR, −0.92 to 0.23) for the 6-mm group and −0.15 mm (IQR: −0.93 – 0.41) for th...