A University of Gothenburg study, published in Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research, reports that 18 single titanium implants placed between 1982 and 1985 were all still in place and fully functional at the 38-to-40-year follow-up. The research is the longest follow-up study of single dental implants on record. Bone loss around the implants remained virtually unchanged over four decades, supporting the durability of the osseointegration principles developed by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark. Crowns told a different story: only around 60 percent of the original crowns were still in place at follow-up, with the majority replaced for aesthetic rather than technical reasons. The authors note that the older implant systems used in this cohort are no longer commercially available, replaced by newer systems that have not yet accumulated comparable long-term data. The study concludes that well-planned surgical technique and adequate healing time are key predictors of long-term implant success. The researchers caution that current protocols promoting faster treatment and accelerated healing need equally rigorous long-term evaluation before their outcomes can be assumed to match those seen here.