Should the quality of glycemic control guide dental implant therapy in patients with diabetes? Focus on implant survival

INTRODUCTION Optimal glycemic control is crucial to dental implant long-term functional and esthetic success. Despite HbA1c levels of 7% or lower used as an indicator for good glycemic control, however, this level may not be attainable for all diabetic patients. Most dentists do not consider patients with poor glycemic control candidates for implant therapy due to higher implant failure, infection or other complications. AIM This review challenges the concept of one size fits all and aims to critically appraise the evidence for the success or failure rate of dental implants and peri-implant health outcomes in patients with less-than-optimal glycemic control. DISCUSSION Evidence suggests that estimating glycemic control from HbA1c measurement alone is misleading. Moreover, elevated preoperative HbA1c was not associated with increased mortality and morbidity after major surgical procedures. Literature for the survival or success of implants in diabetic patients is inconsistent due to a lack of standardized reporting of clinical data collection and outcomes. While a number of studies report that implant treatment in patients with well-controlled diabetes has a similar success rate to healthy individuals, other studies suggest that the quality of glycemic control in diabetic patients does not make a difference in the implant failure rate or marginal bone loss. This discrepancy could indicate that risk factors other than hyperglycemia may contribute to the survival of implants in diabetic patients. CONCLUSION In the era of personalized medicine, the clinician should utilize individualized information and analyze all risk factors to provide the patient with evidence-based treatment options.