Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common type of antidepressant, were found to be linked to an increased risk of dental implant failure according to a study of 490 patients. The study showed a failure rate of 10.6% for implants in patients taking SSRIs, compared to 4.6% for patients not taking them. A separate cost-effectiveness study of surgical treatments for trigeminal neuralgia found that percutaneous stereotaxic rhizotomy (PSR) was the most cost-effective at $600 per quality adjusted life year, though it was the least commonly performed procedure.

1. 1016 JADA 145(10) http://jada.ada.org October 2014
NEWS
ANTIDEPRESSANTS MAY BE
LINKED TO IMPLANT FAILURE
RISK, RESEARCHERS REPORT
Selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs)—the most
widely used antidepressant drugs—
may be associated with an increased
risk of failure of osseointegrated
implants, according to a study
published online Sept. 3 in Journal of
Dental Research.
Researchers from McGill Univer-
sity in Montreal, Quebec, Canada,
and East Coast Oral Surgery in
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada,
conducted a retrospective cohort
study of patients treated with dental
implants.
The researchers examined records
from 490 patients who received a
total of 916 implants from January
2007 to January 2013. Eight hun-
dred twenty-two of these implants
were placed in 440 patients who
did not use SSRIs, and 94 implants
were placed in 50 patients who used
SSRIs, the authors wrote.
After three to 67 months’ follow-
up, the researchers found that 38 of
822 implants in the nonusers group
had failed, for a failure rate of 4.6
percent. In the users group, 10 of 94
implants had failed, for a failure rate
of 10.6 percent.
The researchers also reported
that small implant diameters, bone
augmentation and smoking hab-
its seemed to be associated with a
higher risk of implant failure.
One study limitation was that the
investigators could not acquire infor-
mation about drug compliance dose
and treatment period from patients’
files, the authors wrote.
This study was supported by the
China Scholarship Council, Clifford
Wong Fellowship, Canadian Insti-
tutes of Health Research, Institute of
Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Bridge Funding, and the Network for
Oral and Bone Health Research.
COST-EFFECTIVE PROCEDURE
FOR TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA
UNDERUSED, STUDY FINDS
The most cost-effective surgical
procedure for trigeminal neural-
gia may be the one performed
least often, according to a study
published in the September issue of
Neurosurgery.
Siviero Agazzi, MD, MBA, and
colleagues from the University of
South Florida in Tampa compared
the cost-effectiveness of various
surgical options for trigeminal neu-
ralgia by analyzing Medicare claims
data during 2011.
Of 1,582 patients with trigeminal
neuralgia, 94 (6 percent) under-
went surgical treatment, the authors
wrote. Forty-eight of these patients
underwent microvascular decom-
pression (MVD), 39 underwent
stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and
seven underwent percutaneous
stereotaxic rhizotomy (PSR).
The researchers reported that the
average weighted cost of surgery was
about $40,000 for MVD, $38,000 for
SRS and $3,900 for PSR.
Over 10 years, the average quality-
adjusted life-years (QALYs)—reflect-
ing the time free of pain without
medications—were 8.2 for patients
undergoing MVD, 4.9 for those
undergoing SRS and 6.5 for those
undergoing PSR, the authors wrote.
After accounting for these dif-
ferences, the researchers found that
PSR was the most cost-effective
option. The reported cost per QALY
gained was about $600 for PSR,
$4,900 for MVD and $7,800 for SRS.
Dr. Agazzi and coauthors empha-
sized the preliminary nature of their
study. However, the results suggest
that PSR is an underutilized pro-
cedure for patients with trigeminal
neuralgia who require surgery, wrote
the authors. ■
Compiled by Janice Snider, senior
editor.
CALENDAR OF
EVENTS
ADA—AMERICA’S DENTAL
MEETING
2015 Nov. 5-10, Washington
2016 Oct. 20-25, Denver
2017 Oct. 19-24, Atlanta