Factors associated with early and late failure of dental implants

Osseointegration is a good indication of the clinical success of titanium implants referring to the direct anchorage of such implants to the surrounding host bone. Despite the high success rate of endosseous dental implants, they do fail. A lack of primary stability, surgical trauma, and infection seem to be the most important causes of early implant failure. Early signs of infection may be an indication of a much more critical result than if the same complications occur later, because of disturbance of the primary bone healing process. Occlusal overload and periimplantitis seem to be the most important factors associated with late failure. Suboptimal implant design and improper prosthetic constructions are among those risk factors responsible for implant complications and failure. This concise review highlights the main causes associated with early and late implant failure, as thorough knowledge of this unavoidable clinical fact is essential in the field of oral implantology.