Risk of Dental Implant Failure with Obesity

Purpose: To measure the association between dental implant failure and obesity. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed to investigate the association between implant failure and obesity. The time to implant failure and other covariates of interest were studied, including sex, history of periodontal disease, and smoking. A consecutive series of implant patients were studied from January 1, 2000, through September 30, 2021, in the Department of Dental Specialties at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Obesity was measured through the patient’s body mass index (BMI), which was calculated from their height and weight closest to the date of implant placement (within 12 months). They were then categorized as “not overweight or obese” (BMI ≤ 24.9), “overweight” (BMI 25.0 to 29.9), or “obese” (BMI ≥ 30). Kaplan-Meier models were compared using a log rank test to assess the associations of demographic and systemic conditions with implant failure. Survival curves and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated at the implant level separately from BMI, sex, and smoking. Results: The sample included 6,241 patients who received 16,921 implants. The mean age was 54.43 years (SD: 17.04), and 42.7% of the patients were male. A total of 5,847 implants were placed in 2,161 patients categorized as “obese,” with 327 implants failing in 171 patients. BMI status was not found to be a risk for implant failure in the population or setting studied (HR: 0.97; 95% CI 0.82–1.15; P value = 0.44). Current smokers (P < .0001) and males (P = .015) were significantly associated with implant failure. Conclusions: Obesity was not shown to be associated with an increased risk of implant failure.