Antidepressants may Cause Failure of Dental Implants

A new study published in the online edition of Journal of Dental Research (JDR) reveals that use of the most common antidepressant could increase the risk of a dental implant failure.

The drugs, known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, have been under investigation for some time and have already been found to reduce bone formation and increase the risk of bone fracture.

For the latest study, the researchers followed around 490 patients fitted with a total of 916 dental implants for a period of 67 months. Around 51 patients, with 94 dental implants, were found to be taking SSRIs.

The researchers found that around 38 implants failed and 784 succeeded among the group of participants who were not on SSRIs, with a failure rate of 4.6 percent. Among those who did take SSRIS, around 10 implants failed and 84 succeeded, with the failure rate of 10.6. The researchers added that other factors, such as small implant diameters, bone augmentation and smoking habits, also increased the risk of implant failure.

Source: Medindia