In the past 15 years, the use of osseointegrated implants has become the standard of care for the rehabilitation of fully and partially edentulous patients, leading to a rapid expansion of implant therapy in dental offices.
This positive development was supported by several factors and trends. Firstly, implant therapy is meeting with much greater acceptance—not only by patients, but also by dentists. The excellent documentation of osseointegrated implants in prospective clinical studies (with up to ten years of follow-up) and good clinical results have both contributed to this increased acceptance. Secondly, the prosthodontic aspect of implant therapy has been simplified by precise prefabricated components, so general practitioners can easily treat patients with implant-supported restorations. Thirdly, there has been significant progress in bone-augmentation procedures (techniques to overcome local bone deficiencies such as guided bone regeneration or sinus grafting). These surgical procedures are routinely used for implant patients today; they have broadened the indications for oral implant therapy, particularly in partially edentulous patients.