Non-Cochrane · intervention · PM42226287
Ten-year outcomes of short dental implants (≤ 6 mm): a systematic review and sensitivity meta-analysis.
Lin Linni, Ren Yijie, Zhu Enhui, et al. · BMC oral health · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1186/s12903-026-08742-4
Findings
Population Completely or partially edentulous adults receiving dental implants
46 findings
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data | Proportion 0.937 [0.878, 0.980] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 255 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year peri-implant mucositis, implant level 10 years | Proportion 0.336 [0.173, 0.521] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 114 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year marginal bone loss (mm), implant level 10 years | Mean (mm) 0.277 [0.117, 0.436] GRADE not reported 7 studies · 202 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year marginal bone loss (mm), patient level 10 years · Sensitivity analysis excluding high-risk study (Storelli 2018) | Mean (mm) 0.154 [-0.013, 0.322] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year marginal bone loss (mm), implant level 10 years · Sensitivity analysis excluding high-risk study (Rossi 2018) | Mean (mm) 0.185 [-0.61, 0.209] GRADE not reported 6 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data: prosthesis connection: cemented-retained | Proportion 0.9683 [0.9089, 0.9995] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data (loss to follow-up interpolation, relative incidence 2) | Proportion 0.928 [0.861, 0.976] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 318 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data: implant superstructure: splinted crowns | Proportion 0.9789 [0.8514, 1.0000] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data | Proportion 0.912 [0.843, 0.965] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 173 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data: prosthesis connection: screw-retained | Proportion 0.7363 [0.4880, 0.9269] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data: implant superstructure: single crowns | Proportion 0.9001 [0.8199, 0.9611] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data: study design: prospective cohort studies | Proportion 0.9535 [0.8299, 1.0000] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data: study design: RCTs | Proportion 0.8991 [0.8415, 0.9461] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data: prosthesis connection: screw-retained | Proportion 0.8070 [0.7188, 0.8826] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data: implant superstructure: splinted crowns | Proportion 0.9372 [0.6685, 1.0000] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data: implant superstructure: single crowns | Proportion 0.8859 [0.7757, 0.9653] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: implant location: maxilla | Proportion 0.9345 [0.8719, 0.9804] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year technical complications, patient level 10 years | Proportion 0.235 [0.047, 0.494] GRADE not reported 7 studies · 167 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data: study design: RCTs | Proportion 0.8955 [0.8198, 0.9551] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data: implant superstructure: splinted crowns | Proportion 0.9593 [0.7697, 1.0000] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data: study design: prospective cohort studies | Proportion 0.9321 [0.7684, 1.0000] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year marginal bone loss (mm), patient level 10 years | Mean (mm) 0.277 [-0.021, 0.575] GRADE not reported 3 studies · 64 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: study design: prospective cohort studies | Proportion 0.9566 [0.8510, 1.0000] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year peri-implantitis, implant level 10 years | Proportion 0.004 [0.000, 0.024] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 211 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: implant superstructure: splinted crowns | Proportion 0.9888 [0.9047, 1.0000] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data: implant superstructure: single crowns | Proportion 0.9069 [0.8286, 0.9650] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data: study design: prospective cohort studies | Proportion 0.9207 [0.7099, 1.0000] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: prosthesis connection: cemented-retained | Proportion 0.9697 [0.9121, 0.9997] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data (loss to follow-up interpolation, relative incidence 2) | Proportion 0.897 [0.805, 0.965] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 214 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data: prosthesis connection: cemented-retained | Proportion 0.9486 [0.8738, 0.9950] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: implant location: mandible | Proportion 0.9359 [0.8376, 0.9948] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: prosthesis connection: screw-retained | Proportion 0.8357 [0.7436, 0.9117] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data: prosthesis connection: cemented-retained | Proportion 0.7955 [0.6191, 0.9308] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: study design: RCTs | Proportion 0.9145 [0.8507, 0.9638] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data: implant superstructure: single crowns | Proportion 0.9167 [0.8490, 0.9676] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data: study design: RCTs | Proportion 0.8832 [0.8162, 0.9383] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | None | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data: prosthesis connection: screw-retained | Proportion 0.9509 [0.8834, 0.9941] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Complete case data | RR 0.943 [0.896, 0.992] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 233 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year marginal bone loss (mm), implant level 10 years | No significant difference between short and long implants (marginal bone loss (implant level)); estimate not reported in text GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year peri-implantitis, implant level 10 years | No significant difference between short and long implants (peri-implantitis); estimate not reported in text GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year technical complications, patient level 10 years | No significant difference between short and long implants (technical complications); estimate not reported in text GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Complete case data | RR 0.920 [0.857, 0.987] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 183 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year implant survival rate, patient level 10 years · Imputed data (loss to follow-up interpolation, relative incidence 2) | RR 0.912 [0.854, 0.974] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 259 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year marginal bone loss (mm), patient level 10 years Unresolved: the two extractors disagree on this row. | No significant difference between short and long implants (marginal bone loss (patient level)); estimate not reported in text GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year implant survival rate, implant level 10 years · Imputed data (loss to follow-up interpolation, relative incidence 2) | RR 0.924 [0.877, 0.973] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 328 participants |
| Short dental implants (6 mm or less) | Long dental implants (10 mm or more) | 10-year peri-implant mucositis, implant level 10 years Unresolved: the two extractors disagree on this row. | No significant difference between short and long implants (peri-implant mucositis); estimate not reported in text GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
Included primary studies 8
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thoma 2024 Randomized controlled multi-centre study comparing shorter dental implants (6 mm) to longer dental implants (11-15 mm) in combination with… PMID:38296249 | 2024 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Bregagnol 2024 Long-term clinical performance of short 6-mm implants supporting single crowns in the posterior region: A 10-year cohort study. PMID:37882144 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Guljé 2024 a (mandible, prospective cohort) Single crown restorations supported by 6-mm implants in the resorbed posterior mandible: A 10-year prospective case series. PMID:38534097 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Guljé 2024 b (posterior maxilla RCT) Single crowns in the posterior maxilla supported by either 11-mm long implants with sinus floor augmentation or by 6-mm long implants: A… PMID:37941089 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Petroni 2025 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Rossi 2018 Long-term follow-up of single crowns supported by short, moderately rough implants-A prospective 10-year cohort study. PMID:30430655 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Sahrmann 2023 Ten-Year Performance of Posterior 6-mm Implants with Single-Tooth Restorations: A Randomized Controlled Trial. PMID:37387401 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Storelli 2018 6 mm vs 10 mm-long implants in the rehabilitation of posterior jaws: A 10-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial. PMID:30246182 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
| Review | Shared studies | Jaccard |
|---|---|---|
| Short Implants Versus Sinus Floor Elevation With Standard Implants in the Atrophic Posterior Maxilla: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2026) | 1 | 0.09 |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Completely or partially edentulous adults receiving dental implants | Edentulous adults with posterior short implants (214 patients, 318 short implants; 4 RCTs n=128 patients short, 131 long) |
| Intervention | At least one short dental implant (6 mm or shorter) | Short implants 5 to 6 mm (n=318 implants) |
| Comparison | At least one long dental implant (10 mm or longer), if available | Long implants 10 mm or longer in 4 RCTs (n=167 implants) |
| Outcomes | 10-year implant survival (primary); technical and biological complications and marginal bone loss (secondary) | 10-year survival (patient and implant level), technical complications, peri-implant mucositis, peri-implantitis, marginal bone loss |
| Study designs | RCTs or prospective cohort studies with 10-year follow-up | 4 RCTs and 4 prospective cohort studies (n=8) |
| Timing | 10 years | 10 years |
AMSTAR 2 items
Two independent extractors rated each item. Their ratings are shown side by side because they have not been reconciled yet. The overall rating follows Shea et al. 2017: one critical flaw gives Low, more than one gives Critically Low.
| Item | Extractor A | Extractor B | Agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Research question includes PICO components | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 2Protocol established before the reviewcritical | Partial Yes | Partial Yes | yes |
| 3Choice of study designs explained | No | No | yes |
| 4Comprehensive literature searchcritical | Partial Yes | Partial Yes | yes |
| 5Study selection in duplicate | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 6Data extraction in duplicate | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 7List of excluded studies with reasonscritical | No | No | yes |
| 8Included studies described in detail | Yes | Partial Yes | no |
| 9Risk of bias assessed satisfactorilycritical | NRSI: Partial Yes · RCT: Yes | NRSI: Partial Yes · RCT: Yes | yes |
| 10Funding of included studies reported | No | No | yes |
| 11Appropriate meta-analysis methodscritical | RCT: Yes · NRSI: Yes | NRSI: Partial Yes · RCT: Yes | no |
| 12Impact of risk of bias on the pooled results | No | Yes | no |
| 13Risk of bias accounted for in interpretationcritical | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 14Heterogeneity explained | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 15Publication bias investigatedcritical | Yes | Yes | yes |
| 16Conflicts of interest reported | Yes | Yes | yes |
| Overall | Low | Low | yes |