RESTORATION OF IRRADIATED PATIENTS USING OSSEOINTEGRATED IMPLANTS - CURRENT PERSPECTIVES

Statement of problem. The success rates of osseointegrated implants us ed to restore patients who were irradiated for head and neck tumors ar e influenced by radiation-induced changes in the hard and soft tissues . Purpose. This article examined, bp review of the literature, current perspectives on the restoration of irradiated patients using osseoint egrated implants. Results. In published reports that investigated both intraoral and extraoral applications, irradiation decreased implant s uccess rates and the amount of reduction was dependent on the location within the craniofacial skeleton. The limited number of implants and patients in these studies precludes definitive conclusions regarding t he efficacy of placing implants into irradiated tissues. The implants placed into the irradiated anterior mandible have demonstrated an acce ptable implant success rate of 94% to 100% with a minimal risk of oste oradionecrosis. The efficacy of implants in the posterior mandible has not been examined. Implant success rates ranged from 69% to 95% in th e irradiated maxilla for intraoral applications. Extraoral application s demonstrated excellent implant success rates in the temporal bone (9 1% to 100%). The rates in the anterior nasal floor have varied from 50 % to 100%. The implant success rates in the frontal bone decreased as the length of the studies increased (96% to 33%). The long-term effica cy of implants in the irradiated frontal bone is poor.