Implant-prosthetic rehabilitation of the atrophic posterior mandible with additively manufactured custom-made subperiosteal implants: a cohort study

The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyse a series of patients with posterior mandibular atrophy rehabilitated with custom-made subperiosteal implants. The study included patients with severe posterior mandibular atrophy who had undergone rehabilitation with subperiosteal implants between September 2018 and August 2022 in the Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit of the University Hospital of Sassari. Complications and the success rate were reviewed. Data from 30 implants placed in 17 patients were included and analysed. There were no major complications during the surgeries. The main postoperative sequela was oedema, which was reported as moderate by most patients and had completely regressed within 10 days of surgery. No partial or complete exposures, infections, or loss of the implants were detected during follow-up (average follow-up 22.5 months). Control computed tomography scans, performed at 6 months and then annually in all cases, did not show significant bone loss below the abutments, displacement of the implants, or loss or loosening of the osteosynthesis screws. Subperiosteal implants may represent a safe and reliable technique for the rehabilitation of severe atrophy of the posterior mandible. Prospective studies with a long follow-up will be needed to establish the long-term results of this type of implant-prosthetic rehabilitation.