Effect of patient characteristics and surgical techniques on short-to-mid-term outcomes of dental implant treatment: a retrospective cohort study

This retrospective cohort study aimed to explore the relationships between patient characteristics and surgical techniques and radiographic marginal bone loss (MBL) and postoperative complications in individuals receiving dental implants. Electronic medical records (EMR) of adults (age ≥ 18 years) who received at least one dental implant between January 2015 and October 2023 and underwent radiographic evaluation at least 6 months after prosthesis insertion were reviewed. Patient-level variables included demographic, systemic, behavioral, and oral-hygiene characteristics, whereas implant-level variables included implant type, location, and grafting status. Analyses were primarily conducted at the implant level. The oral-hygiene status was retrospectively categorized based on EMR data. MBL was recorded dichotomously based on radiographic evidence of implant thread exposure. Descriptive statistics and exploratory bivariate analyses were performed using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, respectively. This study included 218 implants from 109 patients. Most implants were bone-level and placed in the native bone. Grafting was more frequently performed at caries-related sites and in patients with good oral hygiene. Older age was associated with poorer oral hygiene, whereas the education level and smoking status were not significantly associated with the oral-hygiene status. Radiographic MBL and postoperative complications were infrequent. Grafting status was not significantly associated with radiographic MBL. Within the limitations of this retrospective cohort study, good oral hygiene and surgical techniques were associated with favorable short-to-mid-term outcomes of implant treatment. Prospective studies with standardized follow-ups and calibrated radiographic assessments are required to clarify these relationships.