The longitudinal clinical efficacy of osseointegrated dental implants: a 3-year report.

The impressive Swedish reports suggesting predictable and frequent longitudinal success with osseointegration in edentulous patients demanded a replication study to underscore the merit of universal application. This is a report from the Toronto prospective study where traditional clinical criteria were used to assess the long-term efficacy of the Brånemark technique. While the duration of the study is relatively short (maximum 3 years) it appears to support the Swedish researchers' results. Furthermore, alternate prosthetic methodologies are described, and the argument is advanced that the surrogate gingival and periodontal indices used may not be suitable for assessing the clinical evidence of osseointegration.