Dental implant treatment is a highly anticipated therapy with widespread use. However, various accidental symptoms and complications have been reported, and we may reluctantly have to remove an implant body out of necessity. This study evaluated 19 cases (21 jaws) that resulted in removal after the enforcement of implant treatment in our hospital from January 2003 to August 2013 and clarified the details of the removals clinically for the purpose of improvement of future treatment results. Implants were removed at a higher frequency in elderly patients, particularly those 70 years of age or older. The removal rate regarding the tooth missing style was high in edentulous jaw cases in both the maxilla and mandible, and was low in defective cases of middle teeth. Regarding the duration and cause of removal, approximately half of the implants were removed due to defective primary stability within 6 months; for periods greater than 6 months, all cases except 1 jaw were removed within 30 months and many cases were due to peri-implantitis. Preoperation evaluations, primary stability of the implant body at the time of the operation, long-term observation and maintenance, and patient education are crucial to reduce the frequency of removal.
Keywords: Implant Removal; Peri-implantitis; Primary stability.