JCP Digest: Age should not be a limiting factor for implant therapy

Ageing does not seem to disrupt osseointegration in the early stages of healing after implant placement, so age should not be a limiting factor for implant therapy

This is the conclusion of research, summarised in the latest issue of JCP Digest, which compared the rate of early implant loss among an elderly patient cohort and a matched cohort of younger patients.

While current literature has shown equivalent implant survival rates in elderly and younger patients, there was a lack of data on early implant loss – defined as a lack of osseointegration before or at the time of prosthetic restoration.

The current literature has shown equivalent implant survival rates in the elderly and younger population at one year and 10 years after placement. However, data on early implant loss (EIL) ­­­­– defined as a lack of osseointegration prior to or at the time of prosthetic restoration – are lacking in the elderly population.

Given that elderly people often receive medication or have comorbidities that affect bone healing, it was considered possible that the osteointegration process during the early stage of healing following dental implant placement might be negatively impacted.

As JCP Digest No. 72 reports, the retrospective study found no evidence of a higher rate of early implant loss in patients aged 65 or more than in younger patients (aged 35 to 55). However, patients aged 80 or more may have a slightly higher risk of early implant loss. Researchers said that prospective studies were needed to confirm these results.

The original research, published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JCP) in December 2019, was carried out by researchers at universities in Austria, Sweden, and Switzerland. It was summarised for JCP Digest by postgraduate students at the EFP-affiliated programme in periodontology at the University of Paris/Rothschild Hospital in France.

READ JCP DIGEST