Introduction

Endosseous implants were used reliably in the treatment of various degrees of edentulism. In restoring the edentulous ridge, the clinician could be faced with difficult bony situations. The wide-diameter implant could be used in these situations to improve primary stability by increasing the surface area available for osteointegration. Biomechanically, the wide-diameter implant engaged maximal bone, increased initial stability, and improved stress distribution in the supporting bone. In restoring a large molar, the wide implant has the added advantage of increasing the load bearing capacity and emergence profile of the final restoration. It has been shown to be three to six times stronger than the standard implant. Wide-diameter implants were also used as rescue fixtures to replace fractured or nonintegrated implants. Thus, the wide-diameter implants could become the implant of choice when faced with these challenging situations.

The aims of this review were to research the literature published till Dec. 15, 2014, on wide-diameter implants and to perform a meta-analysis to study (1) the wide-diameter implant survival of different lengths, (2) the wide-diameter implant survival of modified surface compared to machined surface, and (3) the implant survival of wide-diameter implants placed in the maxilla compared to the mandible.