Dental Implant Length and Diameter: A Proposed Classification Scheme

Purpose: To propose a length-and-diameter-based classification scheme for dental implants to standardize terminology in the dental literature and communication between interested parties. Materials and Methods: This study was mainly based on searching two major resources: published scientific research papers and 14 of the most popular dental implant manufacturers. Indexed databases were searched from January 2004 up to and including February 2016 using the keywords dental implant length and dental implant diameter. Retrieved titles and abstracts were screened, and related full-text articles were reviewed. Full-text articles that clearly stated the terms and measurements of implants used were included and considered for proposing this classification scheme. Results: The initial search for implant diameter and length yielded 1007 and 936 articles, respectively. A total of 85 studies (41 about diameter, 44 about length) were selected and reviewed. The remaining studies (966 about diameter, 892 about length) that did not abide by the eligibility criteria were excluded. The terms long, short, standard, wide, and narrow were the most commonly used terms in the literature. A classification scheme for implants by diameter and length was proposed. Conclusions: Indexed publications contain a variety of terms used by authors to describe diameter and length of dental implants without conformity and standardization. The classification scheme proposed in this article could serve as a reference for interested parties.