What they are

Zygomatic implants are long implants that anchor in the cheekbone (zygoma) instead of the upper jaw.¹ They are used for people with severe bone loss in the upper jaw who cannot receive conventional implants.¹ The Cochrane review lists two possible advantages: avoiding bone grafting and allowing a fixed bridge to be placed immediately or soon after surgery.¹ It also describes the procedure as technically demanding.¹

Compared with grafting and standard implants

A 2026 Cochrane review found two randomized trials, each followed for 3 years.¹ One trial with 71 participants compared zygomatic implants, loaded immediately, with conventional implants placed later in grafted bone.¹

Outcome at 3 years	Zygomatic vs grafting plus conventional implants	Certainty
Time to fixed teeth	About 1.3 days vs 444 days	Moderate
Implant failures	Probably fewer with zygomatic	Moderate
Complications	Probably more with zygomatic	Moderate
Patient satisfaction	Little or no difference	Low

The review rated the overall evidence as limited by small sample sizes.¹

Long-term survival

A 2016 systematic review pooled 68 studies of 4,556 zygomatic implants in 2,161 patients.²

The 12-year cumulative survival rate was 95.21 percent.²
Most failures were found within 6 months after surgery.²
Studies of immediate loading had lower failure rates than studies of delayed loading.²
Patients treated after removal of part of the upper jaw had lower survival.²

Complications reported

Complication	Reported rate
Sinusitis	2.4 percent
Soft-tissue infection	2.0 percent
Numbness (paresthesia)	1.0 percent
Oroantral fistula (opening between mouth and sinus)	0.4 percent

The authors noted these rates may be underestimated because many studies did not report them, and that sinusitis can appear years after surgery.²

Who places them

Zygomatic implants are placed in the cheekbone, and sinusitis is their most common reported complication.² Oral and maxillofacial surgeons train in a hospital-based surgical residency of at least four years after dental school.³ Ask any surgeon how many zygomatic cases they have completed.

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

Sources

Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Chrcanovic BR et al. Survival and complications of zygomatic implants: updated systematic review. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2016. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
AAOMS (MyOMS.org): Anesthesia for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. myoms.org

Evidence

Sourced facts

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

A 2026 Cochrane review states zygomatic implants anchor in the cheekbone and are used for people with severe upper-jaw bone loss as an alternative to bone augmentation.

Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026 · checked October 2, 2026
In a 3-year randomized trial, time to rehabilitation was about 1.3 days with zygomatic implants versus 444 days with bone grafting and conventional implants.

Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026 · checked October 2, 2026
The Cochrane review found zygomatic implants probably reduce implant failures and probably increase complications compared with conventional implants in grafted bone (moderate-certainty evidence).

Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026 · checked October 2, 2026
A systematic review of 4,556 zygomatic implants in 2,161 patients reported a 12-year cumulative survival rate of 95.21 percent, with most failures within 6 months of surgery.

Chrcanovic BR et al. Survival and complications of zygomatic implants: updated systematic review. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2016 · checked October 2, 2026
Reported complication rates were sinusitis 2.4 percent, soft-tissue infection 2.0 percent, numbness 1.0 percent and oroantral fistula 0.4 percent.

Chrcanovic BR et al. Survival and complications of zygomatic implants: updated systematic review. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2016 · checked October 2, 2026
The Cochrane review describes the procedure as technically demanding.

Visconti RF et al. Zygomatic implants for the severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2026 · checked October 2, 2026
AAOMS states oral and maxillofacial surgeons complete at least four years of hospital-based surgical residency after dental school.

AAOMS (MyOMS.org): Anesthesia for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery · checked October 2, 2026

Related topics

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Procedures

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.

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Procedures

Sinus lift

A sinus lift adds bone under the floor of the maxillary sinus so implants can be placed in the upper back jaw. It is done through a side window (lateral) or from below through the implant site (transalveolar).

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Procedures

Full-arch fixed teeth: All-on-4 and All-on-X

A full-arch fixed bridge replaces all teeth in one jaw and is fixed to four or more implants. All-on-4 uses four implants, which may include tilted implants; in All-on-X the X stands for a variable number of implants, commonly four to six.

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Who does the work

Who does which part: surgical and restorative

Implant treatment has a surgical half (placing the implant, grafting) and a restorative half (designing and fitting the teeth). Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and periodontists do the surgery; prosthodontists and general dentists do the restoration; some general dentists and specialists do both.