Success criteria for dental implants over the past 48 years

Abstract

More than a century has passed since dental implants were first introduced and documented in the English literature.As the Korean Academy of Implant Dentistry (KAID) celebrates its 50th anniversary, there is a critical need to clarify the dental implant success criteria established by the academy and the standards for implant success within the academic framework of Korean implantology.Various success criteria have been published since cylindrical implants were commercialized in the late 1960s, beginning with the first established standards in 1977.This study comprehensively reviewed the implant-related success criteria, therapeutic strategies, and clinical guidelines reported in the English-language literature to date.This study collected and organized data on previously reported success criteria, while concurrently identifying the concise success criteria proposed by the society's vice-presidents and opinion leaders.In 2026, clear criteria for implant success can be defined not by specific numerical benchmarks, but by the patient's primary satisfaction and sense of fulfillment that align with the principled clinical guidelines followed by dentists.(