Dental implants · Diabetes · Evidence
Implant success with diabetes:
what the studies really say.
You'll find confident claims both ways online. The honest answer is that the large reviews disagree about failure, and agree more about bone loss. Here are the numbers side by side.
Quick answer
Do dental implants fail more often in people with diabetes?
The evidence is mixed. Meta-analyses in 2014 (Chrcanovic, risk ratio 1.07) and 2016 (Moraschini) found no significant difference in implant failure between people with and without diabetes, and a 2021 review of type 2 diabetes agreed. The largest review, from 2022 (89 publications), found a higher failure risk with diabetes (odds ratio 1.78), mainly in the upper jaw. Reviews agree more consistently that diabetes means more bone loss and inflammation around implants, especially with poor glucose control.
RR 1.07
Failure, diabetes vs none
95% CI 0.80–1.44, not significant; 14 publications
Chrcanovic, J Dent Res 2014
OR 1.78
Failure, largest review
89 publications; 5,510 implants in people with diabetes
Al Ansari, Materials 2022
+0.20 mm
Extra bone loss with diabetes
Marginal bone loss, 95% CI 0.08–0.31
Chrcanovic, J Dent Res 2014
97.2% vs 98.8%
Long-term survival, type 2
255 vs 244 implants, followed 1–12 years
Tawil, IJOMI 2008
95.2% vs 97.0%
2-year survival, type 1
53 people with controlled type 1 vs 53 controls; not significant
Sannino, JBRHA 2020
OR 4.48
Type 1 vs type 2 failure
Reported in the 2022 review (p=0.032)
Al Ansari, Materials 2022
Three outcomes
Failure is only one measure.
Implant failure
Whether the implant is lost. Older reviews found no difference; the largest recent review found a higher risk. Prospective studies with good control show survival close to people without diabetes.
Depends on the review
Bone loss around the implant
Most reviews find more marginal bone loss with diabetes, and more as HbA1c rises. Bone loss matters because it can lead to peri-implantitis and, eventually, implant loss.
Worse with poor control
Gum inflammation (bleeding, pockets)
Bleeding on probing and deeper pockets around implants are more common with diabetes. This is what regular maintenance is designed to catch early.
Manageable with maintenance
Side by side
The main systematic reviews
Why do reviews disagree? They include different studies with different follow-up, different definitions of failure and patients with different levels of control. The 2022 review pooled far more publications, including smaller and retrospective studies, and found the difference only in the upper jaw. The older reviews pooled fewer, mostly controlled studies.
| Review | Studies | Failure | Bone and soft tissue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrcanovic, J Dent Res 2014 | 14 publications | RR 1.07 (0.80–1.44), not significant | Bone loss +0.20 mm |
| Moraschini, Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2016 | 14 studies | No difference; no type 1 vs type 2 difference | More bone loss with diabetes |
| Jiang, Acta Odontol Scand 2021 | 10 studies | — | Bone loss, pocket depth and bleeding all significantly worse |
| Shang, JADA 2021 (type 2) | 9 studies | No difference (P=.46) | More bleeding and bone loss |
| Al Ansari, Materials 2022 | 89 publications | OR 1.78 (upper jaw); type 1 vs type 2 OR 4.48 | Bone loss +0.78 mm |
A blank cell means that outcome wasn't reported in the abstract we checked.
Your own risk, not an average
Send your HbA1c, medicine list and a dental X-ray. A dentist looks at your gums, bone and control, and tells you honestly how implants would be planned for you.
Type 1 diabetes
Less research, same principles
Most implant research involves type 2 diabetes. For type 1, a prospective study of 53 people with controlled type 1 diabetes and regular hygiene visits found 2-year implant survival of 95.2%, against 97.0% in matched controls, a difference that was not statistically significant. The 2022 review found a higher failure risk in type 1 than type 2, while the 2016 review found no difference, so the picture is uncertain.
A 2025 Swedish national register study found peri-implantitis was more common with type 1 diabetes (21.1% vs 15.2%). Controlled glucose and regular maintenance are the two things within your control.
Where treatment happens
University dental hospitals
that place implants.
Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology 北京大学口腔医院
National Center for Stomatology (2020); International Clinical Division provides treatment in English
Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital 上海交通大学医学院附属第九人民医院
National Center for Stomatology (2020); oral implantology department
West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University 四川大学华西口腔医院
National Center for Stomatology; national clinical research centre for oral diseases
Stomatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine 浙江大学医学院附属口腔医院
Zhejiang University's dental hospital, established 1976
FAQ
Success rates — answered.
- What is the success rate of dental implants for diabetics?
- Studies of people with well-controlled type 2 diabetes report survival similar to people without diabetes: for example 98.9% at one year after loading (Oates 2014) and 97.2% over 1–12 years (Tawil 2008). These are study groups, not personal predictions; your own risk depends on your control, gums, bone and smoking.
- Why do some sources say implants fail more with diabetes?
- Because some evidence shows that. The largest review (2022, 89 publications) found an odds ratio of 1.78 for failure, mainly in the upper jaw. Earlier reviews of fewer, more controlled studies found no significant difference. Both are real findings; glucose control seems to explain much of the gap.
- Is type 1 diabetes riskier than type 2 for implants?
- It's uncertain. One review found higher failure with type 1; another found no difference. A prospective type 1 study found survival close to people without diabetes when glucose was controlled.
- Does smoking matter more than diabetes?
- Both matter. A systematic review of peri-implantitis risk factors found an odds ratio of 2.5 for diabetes and 1.7 for smoking. If you smoke and have diabetes, stopping smoking is one of the most useful things you can do for an implant.
Related guides
Dental implants with diabetes (hub)
Who is a candidate, what the evidence says, and how treatment is planned.
Read the guideHbA1c and implant eligibility
Why 8% is the practical line, and what to do if you're above it.
Read the guideSurgery day: glucose, medicines, antibiotics
Target glucose, SGLT2 and GLP-1 medicines, antibiotics and osteoporosis drugs.
Read the guideHealing time and immediate loading
How long implants take to settle, and when same-day teeth are reasonable.
Read the guidePeri-implantitis and long-term care
The gum and bone problem that matters most with diabetes, and how to prevent it.
Read the guideDiabetes dental tours
Gum care and implants in China with an endocrinology review on the same trip.
Read the guideDiabetes care in China
Endocrinology programs and top centres.
Read the guideSources
References
- Chrcanovic BR, et al. Diabetes and oral implant failure: a systematic review. J Dent Res. 2014;93(9):859–867.
- Moraschini V, et al. The impact of diabetes on dental implant failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2016;45(10):1237–1245.
- Jiang X, et al. Association between diabetes and dental implant complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Odontol Scand. 2021;79(1):9–18.
- Shang R, et al. Impact of hyperglycemia on the rate of implant failure and peri-implant parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Dent Assoc. 2021;152(3):189–201.
- Al Ansari Y, et al. Diabetes mellitus and dental implants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials (Basel). 2022;15(9):3227.
- Oates TW Jr, et al. The effects of elevated hemoglobin A1c in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on dental implants: survival and stability at one year. J Am Dent Assoc. 2014;145(12):1218–1226.
- Tawil G, et al. Conventional and advanced implant treatment in the type II diabetic patient: surgical protocol and long-term clinical results. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2008;23(4):744–752.
- Sannino G, et al. Dental implants survival rate in controlled type I diabetic patients: a prospective longitudinal study with a 2-year follow-up. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2020;34(6 Suppl 3):37–45.
- Trullenque-Eriksson A, et al. Association between diabetes and peri-implantitis: evidence from a Swedish register-based study. J Clin Periodontol. 2025;52(12):1650–1661.
- Dreyer H, et al. Epidemiology and risk factors of peri-implantitis: a systematic review. J Periodontal Res. 2018;53(5):657–681.
Good control,
good odds. Let's check yours.
Share a recent HbA1c and a panoramic X-ray or CBCT. We'll tell you whether implants look realistic now and how the treatment and trip would be paced.
This page is for general education only and is not medical advice. Whether implants suit you depends on your glucose control, gum and bone health, medicines and other conditions, and only your dentist, implant surgeon and diabetes doctor can decide. Study results describe groups of patients, not what will happen to you. Never stop or change a diabetes medicine without your doctor's advice.
Published 9 October 2026 · Figures checked against the cited sources by the PandaTouring Care editorial team · Editorial policy