Prosthodontic complications of spline dental implants

Access to accurate clinical data on the frequency of prosthodontic complications encountered in dental implant restorations can provide dentists with important information for evaluating dental implant systems. The complication of prosthetic screw loosening, for example, has often been ignored or under-reported. Only limited published clinical data exists on the use of the Spline connections for dental implant restorations. This paper reports on an in-vitro investigation of prosthodontic complications encountered with the Spline dental implant system restored by students and residents at The Ohio State University’s School of Dentistry. From a comprehensive list of implant patients generated from the University’s computer records, an extensive chart review was conducted, and all patients who were treated with Spline dental implants were entered into the study. During a second chart review, data on all prosthodontic complications with Spline implant restorations were gathered on reporting forms then entered into a computer database and subjected to statistical analysis. The results showed that 95.75% of the prostheses were free of any complications. Iatrogenic factors that resulted in screw loosening were identified. Based on the findings of this relatively short-term study ranging from 29 to 59 months of post-restoration clinical follow-up, Spline dental implants provided a stable implant prosthetic connection.