Microbial infections and occlusal overload: causes of failure in osseointegrated implants.

Microbial infections and occlusal overload are the two primary causes of failure in osseointegrated implants. This paper reviews the roles of pathogenic bacteria and occlusal overload, summarizes the types of microbes, outlines the diagnosis, and discusses how these conditions may be avoided and/or corrected. The learning objective of this article is an enhanced and updated understanding of the etiology, prevention, and correction of these two conditions.