The integration of digital technologies in implant dentistry has profoundly altered the diagnostic and treatment planning workflows. Digital planning, guided implant placement, and CAD/CAM fabrication of restorations are now routinely incorporated into clinical practice. Initially perceived as an alternative to the classic analog workflow, digital workflows today increasingly represent the standard of care for dental implant treatment in daily practice.
However, the knowledge gain in research on digital technologies has been disproportionately centered on implant-supported fixed prostheses. While fixed implant reconstructions benefit from well-defined digital workflows and outcome-driven investigations, removable implant prosthodontics often remains reliant on hybrid protocols, with limited high-quality evidence supporting fully digital approaches. Therefore, this issue of Forum Implantologicum is dedicated to this somewhat underrepresented field in dentistry and particularly implantology, which we feel will gain increasing relevance also through ongoing demographic changes in our society, with more and more elderly patients seeking help to restore their missing teeth.
Particularly for fully edentulous patients, implant treatment offers to significantly improve overall quality of life. Patients with anatomical limitations, financial restrictions, problems in maintaining a high level of oral hygiene or long-term maintenance needs frequently favor removable prosthetic concepts. Several studies have supported the implant-supported mandibular overdenture as a standard-of-care treatment for edentulous patients (Da Silva Lemos et al. 2025; Naert et al. 2004; Park et al. 2023; Scherer 2015). Furthermore, implant-supported overdentures in the maxilla offer improved retention while enhancing comfort and taste by allowing a design that leaves the palate uncovered (Abou-Ayash et al. 2023).
To present a more in-depth overview and a critical discussion of these topics, the Editorial Board of Forum Implantologicum has invited internationally recognized authors and their teams to present different aspects:
- Dr. Najla Chebib (Geneva, Switzerland) and co-workers present an overview on conventional and digital impressions for implant-supported overdentures. Impression strategies for different attachment systems are discussed with an emphasis on accuracy requirements.
- Dr. Adam Hamilton's group (Melbourne, Australia) goes in depth in a two-part article that synthesizes current clinical and scientific evidence on digital interocclusal records for dentate and partially dentate patients.
- Prof. Ali Murat Kökat (Istanbul, Türkiye) presents the concept of the virtual patient and explains how to integrate cone-beam computed tomography, intraoral scans, facial scans, and jaw-motion data to create an accurate three-dimensional digital patient twin.
- Prof. Samir Abou-Ayash (Mainz, Germany) focuses on the workflow, manufacturing, clinical outcomes, and associated complications of digital implant overdentures.
- Finally, Prof. Nadja Rohr (Basel, Switzerland) and co-workers presents and discusses guidelines on the choice of materials and fabrication methods for implant overdentures.
On behalf of the Editorial Board of Forum Implantologicum, we hope these articles will contribute to spark new ideas and provide practical, evidence-based insights that enhance your day-to-day clinical practice for patients in need of removable prosthodontic solutions supported by dental implants.
Vedrana Braut & Michael M. Bornstein