Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Sep;36(9):1053-1074.
doi: 10.1111/clr.14456. Epub 2025 Jun 8.

Implant Survival in Patient Populations With a Mean Age of 65-75 Years Compared to Older Cohorts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Samir Abou-Ayash  1   2 , Monika Bjelopavlovic  1 , Pedro Molinero-Mourelle  2 , Martin Schimmel  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Implant Survival in Patient Populations With a Mean Age of 65-75 Years Compared to Older Cohorts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Samir Abou-Ayash et al. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate implant survival and success rates in elderly patients, comparing younger old adults (65-75 years) to older implant patients (> 75 years).

Methods: A systematic search was conducted using Medline, Cochrane Library, and PubMed Central for clinical studies on implant therapy in patients aged 65 and older. Outcomes included implant survival and success rates, peri-implant parameters, bone-level changes (BLC), and type of restoration and retention. Three- and five-year survival and success rates, as well as implant loss per 100 implant-years, were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Poisson regression models and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were used to compare study groups, and meta-regression with restricted maximum likelihood estimation (REML) assessed BLC.

Results: Twenty-seven studies with a total of 3892 implants were included. Patients > 75 years had significantly higher five-year survival rates (96.8%, CI: 95.9-97.5) compared to the 65-75 age group (92.1%, CI: 83.0-96.4; p = 0.031), with lower implant loss rates per 100 implant-years. No significant difference in success rates was observed (p = 0.229). Although plaque and bleeding on probing (BOP) were more frequent in the older group, there was no significant difference in BLC (mean difference: 0.41 mm; p = 0.189). In patients > 65 with implant overdentures, single attachments showed significantly higher implant loss rates than bars (p = 0.035).

Conclusions: Dental implants are a reliable treatment for older adults, including those over 75 years. Despite more frequent plaque and BOP in the older group, peri-implant bone remained stable. Splinting implants in overdenture wearers aged > 65 is associated with 5.6 times higher survival rates.

Keywords: advanced age; elderly patient; implant success; implant survival; meta‐analysis; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flow‐diagram.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Risk of bias analysis of included randomized controlled clinical studies.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Risk of bias analysis of included non‐randomized studies.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Meta‐analysis of implant loss rates comparing elderly the elderly (> 75 years), and younger study cohorts (≤ 75 years).
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Funnel plots of included studies on implant loss in the elderly (> 75 years; a), and younger study cohorts (≤ 75 years; b).
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Funnel plots of included studies on implant success in the elderly (> 75 years; a), and younger study cohorts (≤ 75 years; b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Abou‐Ayash, S. , Fonseca M., Pieralli S., and Reissmann D. R.. 2023. “Treatment Effect of Implant‐Supported Fixed Complete Dentures and Implant Overdentures on Patient‐Reported Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis.” Clinical Oral Implants Research 34, no. Suppl 26: 177–195. - PubMed
    1. Al‐Nawas, B. , Bragger U., Meijer H. J., et al. 2012. “A Double‐Blind Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of Titanium‐13Zirconium Versus Titanium Grade IV Small‐Diameter Bone Level Implants in Edentulous Mandibles—Results From a 1‐Year Observation Period.” Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research 14: 896–904. - PubMed
    1. Alsabeeha, N. H. , Payne A. G., De Silva R. K., and Thomson W. M.. 2011. “Mandibular Single‐Implant Overdentures: Preliminary Results of a Randomised‐Control Trial on Early Loading With Different Implant Diameters and Attachment Systems.” Clinical Oral Implants Research 22: 330–337. - PubMed
    1. Anliker, N. , Molinero‐Mourelle P., Weijers M., Bukvic H., Bornstein M. M., and Schimmel M.. 2023. “Dental Status and Its Correlation With Polypharmacy and Multimorbidity in a Swiss Nursing Home Population: A Cross‐Sectional Study.” Clinical Oral Investigations 27: 3021–3028. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bakker, M. H. , Vissink A., Meijer H. J. A., Raghoebar G. M., and Visser A.. 2019. “Mandibular Implant‐Supported Overdentures in (Frail) Elderly: A Prospective Study With 20‐Year Follow‐Up.” Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research 21: 586–592. - PMC - PubMed

Substances