Short Implants as an alternative to augmentation?

The use of short implants as an alternative to bone augmentation techniques with the placement of standard-length dental implants remains a debatable topic. A recent study ¹, evaluated the efficacy of 4-mm implants vs longer implants in the atrophic posterior mandibles.

The study concluded:

4-mm implants loss of peri-implant marginal bone and long implants loss of marginal bone were observed after 1-year of follow-up. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Eight complications occurred in five augmented sites of the patients, and no complication was found to occur in the short implants sites…One-year after loading, 4-mm implants had similar outcomes as long implants in augmented bone. Therefore, short implants might be a feasible treatment in atrophic mandibles. Read More

Another study evaluated whether 4.0 mm short dental implants could be an alternative to augmentation in the maxilla and placement of at least 10.0 mm long implants in posterior atrophic jaws. ²
That study concluded:

One year after loading 4.0 mm long implants achieved similar results, if not better, than longer implants in augmented jaws, but were affected by fewer complications. Short implants might be a preferable choice over bone augmentation, especially in mandibles, since the treatment is less invasive, faster, cheaper, and associated with less morbidity. However, 5 to 10 years post-loading data are necessary before making reliable recommendations. Read More

What has been your clinical experience with short implants?

1.Comparing 4-mm dental implants to longer implants placed in augmented bones in the atrophic posterior mandibles: One-year results of a randomized controlled trial.. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2018 Dec;20(6):997-1002. Rokn AR1 et al.

2.4 mm long vs longer implants in augmented bone in posterior atrophic jaws: 1-year post-loading results from a multicentre randomised controlled trial.. Eur J Oral Implantol. 2018;11(1):31-47.. 2016 Bolle C et al.