SSRIs and Implant Failure explores a growing and clinically significant intersection between mental health pharmacotherapy and oral reconstructive surgery. Drawing on a large 2025 retrospective cohort study and a robust 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis, this course examines compelling evidence that patients taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) experience a substantially higher risk of early dental implant failure. Across diverse populations and study designs, SSRI use is consistently associated with a 2.4–2.8× increased risk of implant failure at the patient level, underscoring the importance of this medication class as a non-trivial factor in implant risk assessment and informed consent.
Beyond statistics, the course delves into the biological mechanisms underlying this association. It explains how SSRIs alter systemic serotonin signaling—particularly peripheral serotonin—which directly inhibits osteoblast function, disrupts bone remodeling pathways, and compromises osseointegration during the critical early healing phase. These effects are magnified in patients with coexisting risk factors such as smoking, frailty, and osteoporosis, highlighting that implant success is inseparable from systemic bone health. Designed for clinicians, this course emphasizes practical application: comprehensive comorbidity assessment, clear patient counseling, ethical coordination with prescribing physicians, and realistic expectation-setting when implant therapy is considered in patients taking SSRIs.
