Foreword

After many years of trials with all types of endo-osseous implants, in 1968 Leonard Linkow finally reached a "new dimension in oral implantology", officially proposing his blade vents. From the physiological, parodontological and biomechanical viewpoints, these "seem to promise the greatest amount of hope for the long-lasting abutment, that is so desperately needed in edentulous and partially edentulous patients".

Judging from the present state of affairs in this youthful branch of odonto-stomatology, known as implantprosthesis,* and reverting to my inaugural speech at the 2nd Congress of the National Oral Implant-prosthesis Association held in Genoa last year, even the harshest critics must surely concede that, especially recently, implantology has come fully into its own right.

In this context, the appearance of this new book by Linkow, dealing exclusively with implantprosthesis and largely with his own method, will undoubtedly contribute to the progress and improvements already made in both the technological and clinical fields.

The book starts out with an analysis based on hundreds of examples of the indications and contraindications; a serious attempt is made to offer practitioners the fullest possible guarantees for placing an endo-osseous implant correctly. A preliminary examination is made, on a case by case basis, of the bone structure of the jaw; this examination, carried out scrupulously before the operation, is aimed at establishing the shape of the partially or totally edentulous crests, their width, height and relationship with underlying anatomical structures which must be avoided when making the incision and fitting the blades.

There is a whole chapter on sub-periostal implants. This chapter logically precedes the one on implants extending into the pterygoid process; this is Linkow's latest proposal for subperiostal skeletal implants, based on the need to ensure stability of the prosthesis "in an upper arch with extensively resorbed bone".

* The inseparability of implants and overlying prosthesis, which complement and integrate each other, in our opinion justifies the term implantprosthesis as most appropriate to describe this method of prosthetic surgery, which achieves the full restoration of chewing function, with an implant on the one hand and through prosthetic reconstruction on the other.

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