Dental Implant Treatment in Medically Compromised Patients: A Narrative Review

In terms of health treatment and subjects, dental implants have evolved as a standard therapy to solve different complications regarding the retention and stability of dentures for edentulous patients. Although dental implant techniques have been utilized in medically compromised patients, scientific evidence is unclear on the feasibility of implants among these patients. Adequate planning and precautions should be exercised as risks are enhanced among these patients.

The primary objective of this work was to provide a brief overview of contraindications, precautions, and guidelines for the use of dental implants among medically compromised patients.

A literature search was performed for published articles within the range 2011-2021 published in English in PubMed, Medline, and OVID Medline databases using the terms Dental Implants, medically compromised patients, treatment plan, and implant survival.

A total of 23 studies were assessed. There are several studies that have mentioned radiotherapy as a critical risk factor “associated with the frequency of dental implant loss.” On the other hand, it has illustrated that metabolic changes have mainly occurred in diabetic patients. It has been determined that implant survival can be lower in a few disorders. Additionally, risks and complications among medically compromised patients have been noted.

The study suggests that the psychosocial and functional benefits of an “implant restoration ” are the documented relative risks related to the common medical condition as well as their respective treatments. The assessment of the overall risk factors with the patient's education about the risk needs to be done in order to make perfect intervention strategies.