Aim

To evaluate implant survival and marginal bone levels (MBL_evel) at least 5 years after implant installation in patients ≥ 65 years old.

Methods

Patient records were screened retrospectively for the following inclusion criteria: (1) ≥ 65 years of age at the time of implant installation, and (2) ≥ 5‐year radiographic follow‐up or registered implant loss. Association between patient‐ and implant‐related data with radiographically assessed data [i.e., implant survival, mean MBL_evel (i.e., average of mesial and distal level), maximum marginal bone loss (i.e., either mesial or distal loss; maximum MBL_oss)] were statistically evaluated by mixed effects multi‐level regression models.

Results

Two‐hundred‐eighteen implants in 74 patients were included with a mean follow‐up of 6.2 years (range: 5 to 10.7 years); 4 early and 6 late implant losses have been registered (implant survival rate: 95.4%). Mean MBL_evel and maximum MBL_oss was 1.24 ± 0.9 mm and 1.48 ± 1.0 mm, respectively. Maximum MBL_oss < 2 mm, 2 to 5 mm, and ≥ 5 mm was found in 70.7, 28.8, and 0.5% of the implants, respectively. For both, mean MBL_evel and maximum MBL_oss, age presented a slightly protective effect (mean MBL_evel: Coef. ‐0.041, p = 0.016; maximum MBL_oss: Coef. ‐0.045, p = 0.014).

Conclusion

The high implant survival rate (95.4%), low mean MBL_evel (1.24 mm), and low frequency of maximum MBL_oss ≥ 5 mm (0.5%) observed herein after 5 to 11 years follow‐up, suggest that older age should not be considered as a limiting factor for implant treatment.