Purpose: To systematically measure the survival rate of implants placed pre- and post-radiotherapy.
Materials and Methods: After performing a systematic literature exploration of 10 databases, observational and quasi-experimental studies and case series estimating the survival of dental implants in patients with head and neck cancer placed before, after, and without radiotherapy were included, with no limit on language or year of publication. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal was used to assess the risk of bias in eligible studies.
Results: During the first screening phase, 3,445 studies were found, among which 16 met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up period was 60 months (range: 1 to 168 months). Seven (43.7%) articles had a moderate risk of bias, four (25%) had a high risk of bias, and five (31.3%) had a low risk of bias. The survival rate for post-radiotherapy, pre-radiotherapy, and without-radiotherapy implants was 80% to 100%, 89.4% to 97%, and 92.2% to 100%, respectively.
Conclusion: Despite the alterations caused by ionizing radiation in peri-implant tissues, dental implants placed pre- and post-radiotherapy had high survival rates, similar to those placed without radiotherapy, which helps improve the condition of life of patients with head and neck cancer.
Keywords: dental implant, survival rate, head and neck cancer, radiotherapy, systematic review
