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Pterygoid implants

Pterygoid implants are placed in the pterygoid region at the back of the upper jaw. In the published series they mainly support full-arch fixed bridges, with 6-year survival similar to implants elsewhere in the jaws.

What they are

Pterygoid implants are placed in the pterygoid region at the back of the upper jaw.1 In the published studies, most were used to support full-arch fixed implant bridges.1 Other options for the upper back jaw include a sinus lift, short implants and zygomatic implants.23

The evidence

A 2023 systematic review by Bidra and colleagues updated a 2011 review that had included older machined-surface implants.1 The update focused on modern implants with roughened surfaces.1 The authors combined the new studies with data on roughened-surface implants from the 2011 review.1 Its search covered articles from January 2010 to December 2021 in PubMed, Scopus and CENTRAL and started from 1,263 titles.1

MeasureResult
Studies included10
Pterygoid implants911
Failures over 6 years39
Cumulative survival at 6 years95.5 percent

When failures happened

  • 37 of the 39 failures were in the first year.1
  • 30 failures occurred before the implants were loaded with teeth.1
  • Only two late failures were reported after loading, both in the sixth year.1

The 6-year survival for roughened-surface implants was 5 percentage points higher than the earlier review that combined machined and roughened surfaces.1 The authors found survival comparable to implants in other regions of the upper and lower jaws.1

Limits of the evidence

The review drew on 10 clinical studies over a maximum of 6 years.1 Longer-term data are not yet available in this source.

Questions to ask

  • Why a pterygoid implant instead of a sinus lift, short implant or zygomatic implant.
  • How many pterygoid implants the surgeon has placed.
  • What the plan is if an implant does not integrate.

General information about dental implants. Treatment decisions are made with a licensed dentist.

Sources

  1. Bidra AS et al. Implants in the pterygoid region: updated systematic review of modern roughened surface implants. J Prosthodont 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Wang C et al. Short implants vs standard implants with sinus floor elevation: systematic review of RCTs. J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evidence

Sourced facts

Each line links to the study or the specialty body it comes from.

  1. A 2023 systematic review of 10 studies reported 911 roughened-surface pterygoid implants with 39 failures over 6 years.

    Bidra AS et al. Implants in the pterygoid region: updated systematic review. J Prosthodont 2023 · checked October 2, 2026

  2. The cumulative survival rate at 6 years was 95.5 percent.

    Bidra AS et al. Implants in the pterygoid region: updated systematic review. J Prosthodont 2023 · checked October 2, 2026

  3. 37 of the 39 failures occurred in the first year, and 30 occurred before the implants were loaded.

    Bidra AS et al. Implants in the pterygoid region: updated systematic review. J Prosthodont 2023 · checked October 2, 2026

  4. Most pterygoid implants in the review supported full-arch fixed implant bridges.

    Bidra AS et al. Implants in the pterygoid region: updated systematic review. J Prosthodont 2023 · checked October 2, 2026

  5. The authors found survival comparable to implants in other regions of the jaws.

    Bidra AS et al. Implants in the pterygoid region: updated systematic review. J Prosthodont 2023 · checked October 2, 2026

  6. Short implants (8 mm or less) had failure rates similar to standard implants with sinus lift in a 2026 meta-analysis.

    Wang C et al. Short implants vs standard implants with sinus floor elevation: systematic review of RCTs. J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg 2026 · checked October 2, 2026

  7. Zygomatic implants are an alternative to bone augmentation for severe upper-jaw bone loss.

    Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026 · checked October 2, 2026

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Dr. Michael Pawlus
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Dr. Michael Pawlus

Periodontist · Sarasota

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Featured doctorDr. Michael Pawlus · Sarasota