Zygomatic implants for the management of the severely atrophied maxilla: a retrospective analysis of 244 implants.

Purpose: The aim of this investigation was to describe the surgical techniques, success rate, prosthetic rehabilitation, complications, and demographics of patients undergoing zygomatic implant surgery.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective case series study design was implemented that included patients who received zygomatic implants identified in the database of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Universidad El Bosque from 2009 to 2013. Contact information was retrieved from the charts and patients were asked to attend the department for a follow-up appointment. The population consisted of all patients found in the database and the sample included otherwise healthy patients living in Bogota, Colombia. Predictor variables were categorized into patient's medical history, demographics, surgical technique, and prosthetic rehabilitation. The outcome variable was the presence or absence of postoperative complications. Smokers, diabetics, and patients living outside Bogota were excluded. Patients also were excluded if their medical status had changed since zygomatic implant surgery. Descriptive statistics were computed for each study variable.

Results: Data of 95 patients were retrieved. The sample consisted of 80 patients in whom 244 implants were inserted. The sample's mean age was 55.5 years. One hundred eleven zygomatic implants were placed in women and 133 were placed in men, with an overall complication rate of 9.9%, with sinusitis the most frequent complication (7.5%). Other complications included paresthesia (0.4%) and oroantral fistula (0.4%). The follow-up period was 6 to 48 months.

Conclusions: This investigation reviewed the authors' 4-year experience placing zygomatic implants and proved a reliable method for the treatment of the resorbed maxilla.