Single implant-supported molar and premolar crowns: a ten-year retrospective clinical report

Abstract 

Evidence of the successful use of osseointegrated dental implants for the restoration of individual teeth has been reported for anterior teeth more frequently than for posterior teeth. Contiguous implants placed in posterior quadrants are often splinted without clear rationale. This clinical report describes the data collected from the charts of patients provided with implant-supported single crowns in posterior quadrants in a prosthodontic practice in southern California. Forty-nine patients with 126 implants restored with molar or premolar crowns were recalled for examination after periods ranging from 6 months to 10 years. The implant failure rate was 4.6%, with complications of abutment screw loosening (7%) and loss of cement bond (22%). Osseointegrated implants in molar and premolar positions may be restored as single crowns.