Summary: The effect of anti-resorptive drug (ARD) usage among patients with successful dental implant osseointegration is controversial. This study showed an increased risk of implant failure in ARD users. Risk factors included pre-existing marginal bone loss, overdenture, diabetes, and a short interval between implant placement and ARD administration.
Introduction: This retrospective study aimed to determine whether anti-resorptive drug (ARD) usage increased risk of implant failure among patients with successful implant osseointegration. Additionally, the study investigated risk factors that affected implant survival rate in ARD users.
Methods: Eighty ARD users with 344 implants who had more than 12 months of follow-up from the initiation of ARD treatment during the period between 2008 and 2017 were included, along with 80 non-ARD users from the same period. The primary outcome was dental implant survival. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard models were used for survival analysis.
Results: Average follow-up was 85.3 months. Implant survival rates were 89.83% in ARD users and 96.03% in non-ARD users. In the univariate Cox proportional hazard model, risk of implant failure was significantly higher in patients with pre-existing marginal bone loss (MBL), diabetes, and concurrent bone augmentation. However, risk of implant failure was significantly lower when the interval between implant placement and ARD administration was < 36 months. Compared with overdenture, single crown and fixed splinted users had lower risk of implant failure. In multivariate analysis, variables including pre-existing MBL, diabetes, < 36-month interval between implant placement and ARD treatment, and usage of fixed splinted prosthesis were significantly associated with increased risk of implant failure.
Conclusions: ARD administration after implant osseointegration was correlated with a reduced implant survival rate. Pre-existing MBL, diabetes, type of final prosthesis, and the interval between implant placement and initiation of ARD administration influenced risk of implant failure.