Failures in implant dentistry

Abstract

This article describes the many failures and complications that can occur when using implants to support restorations. Most of these failures can be prevented with proper patient selection and treatment planning. Implant failures can be largely classifi ed into four main categories: 1) loss of integration, 2) positional failures 3) soft tissue defects, and 4) biomechanical failures. Each of these will be discussed with examples to illustrate the problem. © 2007 British Dental Journal.