Objective: To evaluate the success and failure rates of short implants (10 mm or less) for oral rehabilitations in cases of limited bone height.
Study design: Review of the articles published on the topic between the years 2000 and 2010, and development of a descriptive meta-analysis of the results.
Results: The majority of the studies obtain a cumulative success rate (CSR) similar to that of longer implants (92.5%-98.42% for machined and rough-surface implants, respectively). The studies that record lower cumulative success rates (CSR) are later studies that analyze implants with a machined surface. Almost none of the studies compared the success/failure rates with the bone quality or location of the implant (maxilla or mandible). Thus, the results obtained are from a mixture of these parameters.
Conclusions: In view of the results analyzed, rehabilitations with short implants are a reliable treatment; however, the lack of consistency in the study designs as well as the presence of bias in all of the studies reviewed make it difficult to analyze the data.