Effect of Age on Single Implant Submersion Rate in the Central Maxillary Incisor Region: A Long-Term Retrospective Study

BackgroundIt is contraindicated to place dental implants before growth and development are completed as they are at a risk of submersion due to growth arrest, creating a potential aesthetic problem. PurposeThe present study evaluated the effect of age on mean submersion rate of single dental implant in the central maxillary incisor area as compared with the adjacent natural tooth in implants placed after growth has ceased. Materials and MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 35 patients (mean age 29.39.9 years, 21 females) who received a single dental implant replacing a missing maxillary central incisor from 1992 to 2008 with a follow-up of at least 3 years. Clinical photos from last follow-up were digitally analyzed to measure the vertical change between the incisal edge of the implant supported crown and the adjacent natural central incisor. ResultsIn the younger age group (30 years), the submersion rate was more than three times higher than in the older age group (>30 years), yielding submersion rates of 1.02 and 0.27% per year, respectively. ConclusionsWhereas implant submersion continues throughout adult life, its rate varies with age. It is evident that this phenomenon is much more conspicuous during the second and third decades of life as compared with the fourth and fifth.