Alfredo Natali

Implant‐Retained Removable Partial Dentures: An 8‐Year Retrospective Study

PURPOSE To evaluate the long-term outcomes of removable partial dentures (RPDs) retained (but not supported) by dental implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 32 consecutive patients who received implant-retained RPDs. Each patient received one to four endosseus implants; the sample included a total of 64 implants. Follow-up was conducted for a minimum of 8 years, during which satisfaction, implant survival, and prosthetic success were evaluated. RESULTS Patient satisfaction systematically increased. The implant success rate was 93.75%, and 100% of the prostheses were successful. CONCLUSION Implant-retained RPDs are a reliable intermediate solution that can reduce biological and economic costs while maintaining implant treatment benefits and the ease of RPD procedures.

Long-term Short Implants Performance: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Essential Assessment Parameters

Lack of standard criteria in the outcome assessment makes it difficult to draw conclusions on the clinical performance of short implants and, under these circumstances, determine the reasons for implant failure. This study evaluated, through a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis, the essential parameters required to assess the long-term clinical performance of short and extra-short implants. Electronic databases (Pubmed-MEDLINE, Cochrane Library Database, Embase, and Lilacs) were searched by two independent reviewers, without language limitation, to identify eligible papers. References from the selected articles were also reviewed. The review included clinical trials involving short dental implants placed in humans, published between January 2000 and March 2014, which described the parameters applied for outcomes measurements and provided data on survival rates. Thirteen methodologically acceptable studies were selected and 24 parameters were identified. The most frequent parameters assessed were the marginal bone loss and the cumulative implant survival rate, followed by implant failure rate and biological complications such as bleeding on probing and probing pocket depths. Only cumulative implant survival rate data allows meta-analysis revealing a positive effect size (from 0.052 (fixed) to 0.042 (random)), which means that short implant appears to be a successful treatment option. Mechanical complications and crown-to-implant (C/I) ratio measurement were also commonly described, however, considering the available evidence; no strong conclusions could be drawn since different methods were used to assess each parameter. By means of this literature review, a standard evaluation scheme is proposed, being helpful to regiment further investigations and comparisons on future studies.

Bioactive nanocomposites for dental application obtained by reactive suspension method

Abstract Hydroxyapatite (HA) filled poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PMMA/PHEMA) blends were prepared by reactive suspension method: HA was synthesized by co-precipitation process directly within a HEMA solution and the so-obtained suspension was polymerized in the presence of PMMA. HA particles were obtained in form of nanorods with a length of 50–200 nm and a diameter of 10–30 nm. A significant increase in glass transition temperature was observed in the nanocomposites with respect to the unfilled polymer blends. Dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis showed a significant increase in the storage modulus in the nanocomposites measured in the rubbery region. This increase was unpredicted by Mooney’s predictive equation and was attributed to the presence of cross-linking points due to the in situ generated HA particles. An increase in the elastic modulus was also observed at room temperature in compression and three-point bending tests. The presence of HA in the polymer blends resulted in an important decrease in the water sorption values. The bioactivity of the nanocomposites was verified by the precipitation of HA layer on the surface after soaking in simulated body fluid. Graphical abstract