Qatar: first digitally planned subperiosteal dental implant

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 9. November 2026

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DOHA, Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar’s principal public healthcare provider, has reported performing the country’s first subperiosteal implant procedure using 3D imaging, virtual surgical planning and patient-specific components. The case illustrates the potential of digitally designed subperiosteal implants as an alternative treatment approach for selected patients with insufficient bone volume.

HMC announced in a press release that the procedure was performed at its Surgical Specialty Center by a team led by Dr Khalid Abdel-Galil, senior consultant and chair of the oral and cranio-maxillofacial surgery department. The patient, a woman in her 60s, had lost all her mandibular teeth and presented with severe jawbone atrophy.

Before surgery, the team used 3D imaging to create a digital model of the patient’s jaw and 3D-printed models to plan the operation. This enabled the surgical approach to be simulated and customised components to be designed according to the patient’s anatomy.

HMC reported that medical-grade titanium was used for the implanted component and that the patient was fitted with a provisional prosthesis. A definitive prosthesis is planned once her condition has stabilised.

The service was introduced through a collaboration between HMC’s dentistry department at Al Wakra Hospital and the oral and cranio-maxillofacial surgery department. HMC said that the new service would be available to eligible patients after prosthodontic assessment and multidisciplinary treatment planning.

Expert consensus supports selective clinical use

Although subperiosteal implants have a long clinical history, advances in digital imaging and CAD/CAM, particularly 3D printing, have renewed interest in contemporary patient-specific designs. An international expert consensus study, published in the International Journal of Implant Dentistry in October, sought to establish guidance for their use in clinical practice.

Through two rounds of questionnaires in which international specialists assessed proposed clinical recommendations, the researchers established consensus on 40 statements covering patient selection, surgical workflows, prosthetic treatment, complications and follow-up. The panel supported considering patient-specific subperiosteal implants for carefully selected patients with severe maxillary or mandibular atrophy, particularly when endosseous implants are not feasible, would require extensive bone augmentation or have previously failed. The experts also emphasised the need to integrate the intended prosthesis into digital implant treatment planning and to provide structured long-term monitoring.

Uncertainty remains regarding clinical outcomes and complications. The researchers noted that the available evidence is predominantly observational and that comparative studies and long-term follow-up data are limited. The consensus results support considering contemporary subperiosteal implants for complex cases.