Navigating the clinical ambiguity of implant placement in two young pubescent patients: an insight from two case reports
Main Article Content
Abstract
The horizon of implant dentistry has been ever-expanding owing to its long-term success in rehabilitating partially or completely edentulous cases. This perennial success and efficiency have encouraged clinicians to use osseo-integrated implants to replace teeth lost in children either due to trauma or congenital absence. Although a myriad of studies and publications suggest the placement of implants only after the attainment of skeletal maturity, as the growth-related changes such as remodelling, displacement, and mesial drift can put the future of implant and restoration in jeopardy, the use of implants in young pubescent or adolescent looks promising due to its evident psychological and social advantages over other contemporary alternatives such as a removable prosthesis or resin-bonded bridge. The first case report highlights a 16-year follow-up of a young girl treated at the age of 10 with an implant-supported prosthesis for the replacement of a missing maxillary left central incisor. The second case report centers around a 19-year-old teenage girl who underwent rehabilitation with a permanent fixed prosthesis, replacing her previous implant-supported temporary prosthesis. The implant was initially placed when she was 10 years old.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
- Alani A, Austin R, Djemal S. Contemporary management of tooth replacement in the traumatized dentition. Dent Traumatol. 2012;28(3):183-92. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-9657.2012.01122.x
- Brahim JS. Dental implants in children. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2005;17:375–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coms.2005.06.003
- Albrektsson T, Zarb G, Worthington P, Eriksson AR. The long-term efficacy of currently used dental implants: a review and proposed criteria of success. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 1986;1:11–25.
- Op Heij DG, Opdebeeck H, Van Steenberghe D, Quirynen M. Age as compromising factor for implant insertion. Periodontol 2000 2003;33:172-84. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0906-6713.2003.03314.x
- Abdullah Alsadon O. Adhesion concepts and techniques for laboratory-processed indirect dental restorations. Saudi Dent J. 2022;34:661-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sdentj.2022.09.007
- Heij DGO, Opdebeeck H, van Steenberghe D, Kokich VG, Belser U, Quirynen M. Facial development, continuous tooth eruption, and mesial drift as compromising factors for implant placement. Int J Oral & Maxillofac Implants. 2006;21:867-78.
- Carmichael RP, Sándor GK. Dental implants, growth of the jaws, and determination of skeletal maturity. Atlas of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics. 2008;16(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cxom.2007.10.003
- Odman J, Grondahl K, Lekholm U, Thilander B. The effect of osseointegrated implants on the dento-alveolar development. A clinical and radiographic study in growing pigs. Eur J Orthod 1991;13:279-86. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejo/13.4.279
- Thilander B, Odman J, Lekholm U. Orthodontic aspects of the use of oral implants in adolescents: a 10-year follow-up study. Euro J Orthod. 2001;23:715-31. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejo/23.6.715
- Wang WCW, Suinaga LT, Paranhos KS, Cho SC. Replacing Missing Teeth with Dental Implants in Pubescent Patients-A Case Report. Open Journal of Pediatrics 2015;5:207-12. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojped.2015.53031
- Oesterle LJ, Cronin RJ, Ranly DM. Maxillary implants and the growing patient. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 1993;8:377-87.
- Garcia LT, Oesterle LJ. Natural Tooth Intrusion Phenomenon With Implants: A Survey. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 1998;13:227-31.
- Ledermann PD, Hassell TM, Hefti AF. Osseointegrated dental implants as alternative therapy to bridge construction or orthodontics in young patients: seven years of clinical experience. Pediatr Dent. 1993;15:327-33.
- Bernard JP, Schatz JP, Christou P, Belser U, Kiliaridis S. Long-term vertical changes of the anterior maxillary teeth adjacent to single implants in young and mature adults: A retrospective study. J Clin Periodontol. 2004;31:1024-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2004.00574.x
- Jemt T, Ahlberg G, Henriksson K, Bondevik O. Tooth movements adjacent to single-implant restorations after more than 15 years of follow-up. Int J Prosthodont. 2007;20:626-32.
- IIu G, Bazikian EA, Ushakov AI. The enhanced efficacy of endodontic endosseous and endosseous implantation using Hydroxyapol. Stomatologiia. 1996 Jan 1;75(5):42-4.
- Mishra S, Chowdhary N, Chowdhary R. Dental implants in growing children. J Ind Soc Pedodont Prevent Dent. 2013;31:3-9. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-4388.112392
- Elagib MFA, Alqaysi MAH, Almushayt MOS, Nagate RR, Gokhale ST, Chaturvedi S. Dental implants in growing patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Technol Health Care 2023;31:1051-64. https://doi.org/10.3233/THC-220581
- Kamatham R, Avisa P, Vinnakota DN, Nuvvula S. Adverse Effects of Implants in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2019;43:69-77. https://doi.org/10.17796/1053-4625-43.2.1