Long-Term Survival Rates of Dental Implants in Patients With Disabilities: A Retrospective Clinical Study With up to 10 Years Follow-Up

Abstract

Background Dental implant therapy is increasingly offered to patients with physical, cognitive or multiple disabilities; however, their long-term survival and complication patterns remain poorly defined.Objectives To determine the 10-year cumulative survival rate of dental implants and characterize biological and mechanical complications in patients with disabilities treated at a single university oral care centre.Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiographic records of patients who underwent implant surgery between 2013 and 2023. Implant outcomes were classified based on established clinical and radiographic criteria for survival and failure. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated cumulative survival, and subgroup analyses compared outcomes by disability type. Prosthetic complications were evaluated only in implants with definitive restorations.Results A total of 137 patients (465 implants) were analysed; 35 patients (117 implants) did not receive definitive prostheses. The mean age of the patients at surgery was 46.3 years. The 10-year cumulative implant survival rate was 98.3%. Subgroup survival rates were 99.1% (mental impairment), 98.1% (physical impairment) and 95.7% (multiple disabilities). Seven implants failed (five early biologic failures before prosthesis delivery; two mechanical failures, including one traumatic fixture fracture and one abutment screw fracture). Biological complications occurred in 11 restored implants, whereas mechanical complications were more frequent, predominantly crown decementation (n = 32), followed by veneer chipping (n = 12), screw loosening (n = 12) and screw fracture (n = 3).Conclusions Within the limitations of this retrospective single-centre cohort, careful surgical planning, simplified prosthetic design and structured caregiver-inclusive maintenance were associated with high long-term implant survival in patients with disabilities.