Endosteal blade-vent implants.

At this writing, endosteal blade-vent implants have been used in clinical cases for over 17 years. At the last writing in the Dental Clinics of North America, we had just passed the 10-year mark. Many new systems for preprosthetic reconstructive surgery have gained the attention of the existing implantology community; and new systems have stimulated significant new levels of implant activity in the profession in general. Even with long-term research and clinical documentation with such modalities as the Brannemark, Swiss screw, and hollow cylinders, the blade-vent implant remains in the armamentarium of members of the profession active in implantology. Even with advances in design, no implant system can be placed in the extremely narrow or even knife-edge ridges still encountered in a significant percentage of patients, unless the practitioner is knowledgeable and skillful with (the narrow 1.2 mm buccolingual width of) this implant. I predict that the endosteal blade-vent implant will continue to hold a valued place in the implant field.