CLINICAL PERFORMANCE OF SHORT IMPLANTS VERSUS STANDARD IMPLANTS IN EDENTULOUS PATIENTS. AN UMBRELLA REVIEW

Abstract: Aim: To determine the clinical performance of short implants compared to standard length implants in edentulous patients, using an umbrella review. Material and Methods: An information search was carried out up to August 2023 in the following electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane database, Scopus, SciELO, Google Scholar, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, and OpenGrey. We included studies that were systematic reviews (SR) with or without meta-analysis, without time and language restrictions, that evaluated primary studies that compared short implants with standard-length implants with or without bone augmentation, where the survival rate, marginal bone loss, and biological and/or prosthetic complications have been reported. Literature or narrative reviews, rapid reviews, intervention studies, observational studies, preclinical and basic research, abstracts, comments, case reports, protocols, personal opinions, letters, and posters were excluded. The AMSTAR-2 tool was used to determine the methodological quality of the included studies. Results: The preliminary search yielded a total of 702 articles, discarding those that did not meet the selection criteria, leaving only 54 articles. No difference was found in survival rates, implant failure, prosthetic complications, intra-, peri- and post-operative complications between short and standard implants; while short implants presented lower marginal bone loss and complication rate. Conclusion: Based on the results and conclusions of the SR with a high overall confidence, short implants present similar clinical results to standard length implants, being a viable alternative in those oral regions with poor bone height.