Intra-oral implants in ghana- early impression

Aim: To evaluate the success of intra-oral implants as replacement restorations for missing teeth in two clinics in Ghana from January 2000 to December 2010. Patients and Method: A retrospective study carried out on patients who have had missing teeth replaced with implant-borne restorations. The age, sex, indications for treatment, radiographic records, date of implant placement, the type of luting agent used, the state of the implant if still presentand radiographic assessment were retrieved from their medical records, followed by a clinical examination.The data was analysed using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Findings:65implants wereplaced in 30 patients with 41.54 % (N=27) in the maxilla and 58.46% (N=38) in the mandible. The lower left sextant (N=18) was the commonest site. The average age was 52.67years. The male: female ratio was2.33:1. Most of the patients requested this treatment to help improve mastication (“chew meat”). Using Misch’s criteria, three implants (4.62%) have failed and 62 (95.38 %) are so far classified as successful up till 2013. All three failed implants were Trans mucosal. Conclusion: This study shows that the success rate of implants as an alternative restorative technique in Ghana is comparable to that of several other countries.