Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and critically appraise published studies of treatment methods used in general practice to rehabilitate adult patients with single tooth loss or partial edentulism, with special emphasis on outcomes reported after at least 5 years of follow-up.
Materials and methods: Three databases were searched using specified indexing terms. Publications were included if the study design, research questions, and sample size satisfied pre-established criteria. Reference lists of relevant publications and systematic reviews were also searched. The quality of evidence was classified according to the GRADE system as high, moderate, low, or very low.
Results: The search yielded 7,675 titles, of which 1,130 were read in full text. A final total of 15 publications were deemed eligible for inclusion: 5 of moderate quality and 10 of low quality. The five studies of moderate quality were all related to implant-based treatment. The 5-year survival rates for implant-supported single crowns and prostheses were 91% and 94.7%, respectively (implant survival rates: 98.5% and 94.9%, respectively). The underlying scientific evidence was low in quality. No relevant publications were identified regarding the economic aspects of treatment.
Conclusion: Due to the low scientific evidence of the included studies, it was not possible to compare various treatment methods used for rehabilitation of single tooth loss or partial edentulism.