Implant platform switching concept: a literature review.

BACKGROUND The platform switching concept involves the reduction of the restoration abutment diameter with respect to the diameter of dental implant. Long-term follow up around these wide-platforms showed higher levels of bone preservation. AIM The aim of this article is to carry out a literature review of studies which deal with the influence of platform-switched implants in hard and soft oral tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS All papers involving "platform switching" that are indexed in MedLine and published between 2005 and 2011 were used. Clinical cases, experimental and non-experimental studies were included, as well as literature reviews. RESULTS In our search, we analized 18 clinical cases and 3 reviews. The results indicate that peri-implant bone resorption is reduced with platform switching system. CONCLUSIONS All papers written by different researchers show an improvement in peri-implant bone preservation and satisfactory aesthetic results. Further long-term studies are necessary to confirm these results.