Use of long implants with distal anchorage in the skull base for treatment of extreme maxillary atrophy: The remote bone anchorage concept

The objectives of this study are to present a new concept of the bone anchorage using long implants in remote bone sites and to discuss four cases treated with this method. Our patients were treated with long implants with a distant anchorage in the skull bone. The planning procedure, the construction of the drill guide, and the surgical protocol are described. In the clinical cases described, all four patients were rehabilitated with the remote bone anchorage concept using long implants anchored in the skull base. Patients were followed for 5 - 12 years and the implants remained present and stable in these time periods. The skull base implant is a new concept of bone anchorage using long implants. It can be a solution for complicated clinical situations (often failed bone reconstructions and implant placements) or an alternative for bone grafting and maxillary augmentation procedures. There is effective implant retention in the skull base, an anatomical area that is often overlooked for implant placement.