A pilot study of mini implants as a treatment option for prosthetic rehabilitation of ridges with sub-optimal bone volume.

INTRODUCTION: Implants are the latest development in the field of prothodontics, but still not widely used because of its expensive and its lengthier duration. Patients with ideal bone quantity and quality accommodate the conventional implants. The selection of the width of the implants has been widely speculated and the manufacturers have recently launched a series of 'mini' implants of narrower diameter. The long-term success rate of these narrow diameter implants, needs to be assessed.

STUDY: This 2 year retrospective study summarizes the recorded observations from 11 patients who received 2.4 mm diameter implants for single tooth restorations.

RESULTS: One implant failed 10 months after loading. The success rate was 90.9%. The clinical evaluation of the peri implant mucosa using periodontal indices gave satisfying results for the implant-mucosa interfaces.

CONCLUSION: The success rate of the mini implants of 90.9%, is encouraging and hence studies involving larger number patients can be undertaken to study the efficacy of this novel treatment plan.