Antibiotic Premedication and Dental Implants

Do antibiotics increase the success rates of implants?

By James Akmakjian

dental implants are becoming a very popular treatment option for replacing missing teeth. There are various areas in dentistry where implants can be applies such as single tooth replacement, implant bridges to replace small edentulous spans, and implant supported dentures for patients that are missing all of their teeth but are looking for something that provides more stability and retention. Although the success rates of dental implants has increased through improvements in technology and surgical techniques, there is always room for improvement. Today we are going to focus on how antibiotics increase success rates of dental implants based off of scientific research.

In 2010, Esposito et al. published a Cochrane systematic review based on four randomized clinical trials which concluded that prescribing antibiotics before surgery significantly reduced early failures of dental implants. Similar findings were reported again in 2011 which showed that taking antibiotics before the placement of dental implants reduced the rate of early implant failure.

In 2012, a literature review on the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis before implant placement was published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. After reviewing over 11,000 implant cases, the authors reported that patients had a 92% success rate when no antibiotics were prescribed either before or after their implant procedure. In cases where patients were prescribed antibiotics before their implant surgery, their success rate was found to be 96%; that figure improved to 97% when patients were instead treated with antibiotics post-operatively.

In 2015, a publication in the International Journal of Odontostomatology reported that implant cases which utilized postoperative antibiotics showed a lower incidence of early infection. His research included a review of several articles which evaluated over 9,000 dental implant cases.

Although the success rates of dental implants have increased significantly through improvements in technology and skill, it is still important to consider different ways to improve healing and decrease failure rates. The decision to prescribe antibiotics for the placement of dental implants varies for each individual and should be discussed thoroughly with your clinician before your treatment. You're investing a lot of money into your smile and oral health, make sure you know all of your options and that your dentist has a thorough plan before committing to any extensive procedure.

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