Implant therapy alternatives for geriatric edentulous patients.

The predicament of being both elderly and edentulous undermines life quality for both patient and dentist. The former suffer because of morphological and functional compromises, the latter because of a dearth of safe and predictably successful clinical techniques. The introduction of the osseointegration technique suggested great promise for profoundly changing this predicament, but the specific merits of this approach have been mainly extrapolated ones. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical success of treatment with osseointegration for patients who were 65 or older at the time of implant insertion. A second group of patients, who became 65 during the course of the study was also studied and the results recorded separately. Data regarding the longevity of implants and prosthodontic restorations and the numbers and types of problems encountered were recorded. The evidence suggests that the biological anchorage of tooth root analogues in elderly jaws is predictably successful and enhances the quality of life for geriatric patients who are edentulous.