Protocol

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for describing and summarising the results of our review was used.

A quality assessment of all selected full-text articles was performed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) assessment tool to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. The MINORS scoring list consists of 12 items, eight apply to non-comparative studies, and a further four apply to comparative studies. Items are scored as 0 (not reported), 1 (reported but inadequate), and 2 (reported and adequate) with this then totalled up to give a score with the higher scores representing a reduced risk of bias. This was chosen over the Cochrane collaborations’ tool for assessing risk of bias for randomised controlled studies since none of the studies included were randomised control trials.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

Studies that met the following criteria where included:

1. Dental implant placement into patients with cancer of the H&N.
2. Dental implants placed into autogenous bone grafts.
3. Studies performed on humans.
4. Patients over 18 years old, or if there are patients under 18 years old within the study that these patients and their data can be removed from the analysis.
5. English language articles.
6. Any study design reporting on at least 35 dental implants or 20 patients who have had implants placed into autogenous bone.
7. Data related to implant number and implant survival in autogenous bone grafts that was either directly reported or can be calculated from data within the study.

Exclusion criteria

Studies were excluded if they met the following criteria:

1. Studies that reported on craniofacial or extra-oral implants only.
2. No reported implant survival or an inability to calculate implant number or survival from reported data.
3. Studies reporting on patients under 18 years old where there no ability to remove these patients and their data from the analysis.
4. Laboratory or animal-based studies.
5. Studies with less than 20 patients or 35 dental implants placed into autogenous bone grafts.
6. Review articles.