Dental Implants Succeed in Well-Controlled Diabetes, Review Finds

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Posted: May 28, 2026

Dental Implants Succeed in Well-Controlled Diabetes, Review Finds

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Dental implants can succeed in patients with diabetes when blood sugar is well managed, but poor glycemic control sharply raises the risk of complications and failure, according to a systematic review published in BMC Oral Health.

The review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and searched multiple databases through July 2025. Of 3,637 records screened, 54 studies were included. Overall implant survival in patients with diabetes was frequently high, often exceeding 90% to 95%.

Outcomes diverged with glycemic control. Poorly controlled diabetes, defined as an HbA1c above 8%, was consistently associated with worse results, including greater marginal bone loss, deeper probing depths, more bleeding on probing, and higher levels of peri-implant inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha compared with patients without diabetes. Patients with well-controlled diabetes, an HbA1c of 7% or lower, often had outcomes comparable to those of non-diabetic patients.

Among adjunctive approaches, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy improved clinical measures and reduced inflammation. Preclinical studies of advanced implant surfaces, including bioactive coatings and 3D-printed porous structures, showed enhanced osseointegration under diabetic conditions.

The authors concluded that implant therapy can be successful in patients with well-controlled diabetes, but that poor control significantly increases the risk of peri-implant complications and failure. Long-term success, they wrote, depends on stringent glycemic control, careful treatment planning, aggressive maintenance and, potentially, adjunctive therapies.

The review was written by Shahriar Shahi, Parisa Jalali, Saba Jabbari and Ahmad Qarebigloo of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. It was published online ahead of print on May 23 as an early-access version, before final editing.

Sources:
BMC Oral Health, “Dental implant outcomes in patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review,” May 23, 2026 (DOI 10.1186/s12903-026-07782-0): link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12903-026-07782-0
PubMed listing, PMID 42177496: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42177496

Dental Implants Succeed in Well-Controlled Diabetes, Review Finds




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