Authors' objectives:

The conference was arranged in cooperation with the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care and the ENT Department at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The aims of the conference were: to review advancements made in the use of implants in the head and neck; to describe present applications; to present the methods presently available; to present current indications for implant surgery; to present a health economic analysis; to determine standards for outcomes and documentation.

Authors' results and conclusions: The chapter headings contained in the report include:History, Current Applications, Evaluation Criteria, Technical Specifications, Indications for Treatment, Treatment Risks, Need for Implant Treatment, Evaluation of Treatment, Economics of Implant Treatment, Implant Types and Summary.

Authors' recommendations: It is estimated that about 20% of the Swedish population are missing either some or all of their teeth and about half of them are completely toothless. It is economically unfeasible to treat all edentulous patients. Treatments should be defined by absolute and relative medical and other indications. A conservative estimate is that approximately 5% of the population or 80,000 patients, would benefit from implant treatment for edentulism. The greatest need for prostheses for facial defects due to malformation, accidents or tumour surgery concerns the ear regions and is estimated at 100-150 cases per year. The annual need for bone-conduction hearing aids resulting from chronic infection in the middle ear is about 1000-1500. The total need for implant anchored hearing devices is estimated to be 200-400 cases per year. Implant treatment is a rapidly expanding form of therapy. The materials and methods available today make it possible to significantly improve the situation for patients with various forms of edentulism and defects in the facial region. Also, implant anchored bone-conduction hearing aids can significantly improve the situation for many individuals with difficult to treat hearing impairments. There are several types of implants on the world market and we can expect new implant systems to be introduced in the future. To achieve the status of a medically safe method, each type of implant should be documented similarly to requirements for new pharmaceuticals, minimum requirements concerning treatment results should be met, and implant surgeons should exercise the same professional responsibility as in other medical activities.

Authors' methods: Overview

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.sbu.se/Published

Year Published: 1989

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Sweden

Organisation Name: Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services

Contact Address: P.O. Box 3657, SE-103 59 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel: +46 8 4123200, Fax: +46 8 4113260

Contact Name: registrator@sbu.se

Contact Email: registrator@sbu.se

Copyright: SBU (Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care)