Prosthetic Evaluations in Short Implant Rehabilitations: A Retrospective Study

Aim: Short implants are valuable alternative to bone augmentation in patients with maxillary or mandibular atrophy, potentially reducing surgical invasiveness, treatment time, and cost. However, the impact of prosthetic design—as the emergence profile and angle—on long-term implant stability remains underexplored. This retrospective study aims to assess the effect of prosthetic emergence angle on marginal bone loss, peri-implant tissue health, and on biological or mechanical complication rates. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients rehabilitated with short dental implants measuring 4, 5, or 6 mm in length. Clinical and radiographic follow-ups were performed at 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 years after functional loading. Implant and prosthetic survival rates, biological and mechanical complications, and marginal bone loss (MBL) were assessed. The prosthetic emergence angle was measured and categorized into two groups: <30° and ≥30°, to evaluate its influence on clinical outcomes. Results: Within the observation period, implant-supported rehabilitations showed survival and success rates of 94.10% and 90.24%, respectively, indicating good reliability despite the retrospective design of the study. Data suggest that a prosthetic emergence angle ≥30° may be associated with increased marginal bone loss and a higher incidence of inflammatory complications, likely due to greater biofilm and plaque accumulation in the peri-implant area. Conclusions: Prosthetic design—particularly the emergence angle and profile—may play a relevant role in the long-term success of short implants. However, further randomized controlled studies with long-term follow-up are needed to confirm these findings and guide future clinical decision-making.