Purpose: A critical review of selected relevant publications assessed clinical efficacy and effectiveness of implant-assisted removable partial dentures (IARPDs) with implant survival and failure rates, biologic and technical complications, and maintenance and patient satisfaction after rehabilitation as outcomes.
Materials and methods: Screening of three databases (Medline [PubMed], Embase [OVID], and the Cochrane Library [CENTRAL]) and a manual search of related articles were performed. Reports on outcomes from human studies conducted between 1 January 1980 and 31 May 2016 were considered. A quality assessment of the identified full-text articles was performed to assess risk of bias and to evaluate heterogeneity.
Results: Only nine studies were included, and all nine demonstrated high risk of bias. The mean observation period ranged from 1 to 10 years, and only four studies included at least one control group. The studies reported implant survival rates of 91.7% to 100%, abutment tooth survival rates of 79.2% to 100%, and prosthesis survival rates of 90% to 100%. Approximal peri-implant crestal bone level changes (ΔCBL) ranged from -0.17 to -2.2 mm. IARPDs were associated with a higher frequency of technical complications and maintenance interventions than biologic complications. Only two question-based studies assessed patient satisfaction before and after treatment, and both reported marked improvement. A meta-analysis was not possible because of substantial heterogeneity in study design.
Conclusion: Limited availability of robust publications related to the selected review topic precluded significant conclusions. Nonetheless, the preliminary assessment suggests that IARPDs are a simple and cost-effective approach to providing symmetric prosthesis support and stability, plus improved patient satisfaction.