Time interval after radiotherapy and dental implant failure: systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis.

Background: Typically, dental implants are placed in irradiated bone after a delay that exceeds 6 months, but it is not known whether longer delays are beneficial.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to review the literature comparing the failure rate of dental implants placed in irradiated bone between 6 and 12 months and after 12 months from the cessation of radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Four electronic databases were searched for articles published until February 2013 without language restriction: Lilacs, Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.