A follow-up study of orbital prostheses supported by dental implants

Purpose: This study reports on the use of osseointegrated dental implants for anchorage of orbital prostheses. Patients and Methods: Nine patients were treated with 25 implants inserted in the periorbital area after exenteration of the globe. Implants of 9, 11, and 13 mm length, with a diameter of 3.5, were used. Results: All implants were stable at the stage 2 operation and could be connected with abutments. In 7 cases (19 implants), orbital prostheses were fabricated and have been worn for an average of 3 years. One of the 19 implants was lost after 3 years because of load stress. During the mean observation period, there were only slight skin reactions around the transcutaneous abutments. Conclusion: These results suggest that normal dental implants can be used to anchor craniofacial prostheses without altering their design or the surgical method.