Smoking, Implant's Survival and Bone Quality

Objectives: The aim of this preliminary study was to asses the relation between cigarette smoking, implant survival and bone quality. Methods: The study was based on a consecutive cohort of 156 patients (38% males and 62% females), ranging in age from 18 to 80 years (mean 49.9 years), who received dental implants. Smoking habits documentation included smoking duration, number of cigarettes per day, and past smoking. Data regarding the incidence of complications, as well as survival rate of a randomly selected one implant in each patient were recorded. Bone quality was graded according to Lekholm & Zarb's classification (1 – 4) at time of implant placement. Results: Of this preliminary study population, 19.2% reported on smoking whereas 24.4% reported on past smoking. A good bone quality (class 1 and 2) was observed in 40% of patients and a poor bone quality (class 3 and 4) was observed in 60% of patients. A total of 156 implants were examined (randomly selected one implant in each patient); 29.5% were immediate implants. Failure rate was 1.9%. There was no relation between smoking habits and bone quality or dental implant failure. Conclusion: In this study population, there was no relation between cigarette smoking, bone quality and implant survival. A further study in a larger cohort is warranted.