Maxillary V-4: Four implant treatment for maxillary atrophy with dental implants fixed apically at the vomer-nasal crest, lateral pyriform rim, and zygoma for immediate function. Report on 44 patients followed from 1 to 3 years.

Statement Of Problem: The V-4 implant placement technique is important for restoring patients with maxillary atrophy, but little has been documented on the outcomes of these treatments.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of immediate function after 1 year when implants were placed without vertical bone augmentation in Cawood-Howell Classes IV-VI maxillary atrophy (Class C-D by the "all-on-four" site classification) with the nasal crest, lateral pyriform rim, and sometimes the zygoma for apical implant fixation.

Material And Methods: Function of implants that had been immediately loaded were studied retrospectively after 1 year in 44 patients from 2 different clinics. For each patient studied, 2 angled implants were placed in the midline in the nasal crest/vomer area, and typically, 2 implants were engaged apically in the lateral pyriform rim bilaterally. All 4 of the implants used were angled toward the midline in a V formation, termed "V-4" implant placement. Insertion torque, anterior-posterior spread, implant diameter, implant length, and posterior cantilever were recorded. Implant survival and bone stability were assessed after 1 year. When the lateral pyriform was highly deficient (Class D), zygomatic implants were used posteriorly.

Results: A total of 179 implants were placed in 44 patients followed for 1 to 3 years. Six implants were lost, all in 1 patient. Anterior-posterior spread averaged 16 mm, with an average cantilever of 7.5 mm. Except for the lost implant sites, bone levels were stable throughout treatment for all patients.

Conclusions: The use of 4 implants angled toward the midline, including 2 implants placed into a V-shaped point at the nasal crest and 2 implants placed into an M-shaped point at the pyriform rim bilaterally, showed good stability after 1 year despite gross absence of bone mass as a result of severe maxillary atrophy. The V-4 placement pattern is important for patients with deficient bone mass between the sinus and nasal cavities. In Class D situations where lateral nasal rim bone mass is nearly absent, zygomatic implants can be used.