Dental implants placed in resorbed alveolar ridges reconstructed with iliac crest autogenous onlay grafts: A 26-year median follow-up retrospective study

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcome of dental implants placed with a staged procedure in resorbed alveolar ridges reconstructed with iliac crest autogenous onlay grafts. Materials and methods: All consecutive patients treated with iliac crest onlay bone grafts and dental implants were retrospectively evaluated. During the appointment, clinical and radiological examinations were conducted to assess implant survival. A survived implant was defined as an implant still stable and in function at the follow-up visit. Implant survival was estimated at the implant level using Kaplan-Meier analyses. The cumulative survival rate was estimated using a life-table analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed for age, position, and type of retention using the log-rank test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The cohort consisted of 21 female subjects receiving a total of 140 rough-surface titanium implants. Of them, 128 survived and 12 failed, yielding a cumulative survival rate of 91.1% over a median survival time of 312 months. Implants supporting cement-retained prostheses exhibithed lower survival rate compared to screw-retained restorations (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Implants placed in bone augmented with iliac crest onlay grafts showed high long-term survival rates. Cement-retained restorations were more prone to develop implant failures.