This investigation is designed to provide scientific data that is directly relevant to the placement of dental implants. The study is concerned with the influence of implant design, application, and location on long-term clinical performance and crestal bone response over 5 years of function. It involves approximately 700 patients at 30 Veterans Administration Medical Centers from various geographic regions. Patients are being entered into the study over an 18-month period and monitored (post-loading) over 5 years. The participating centers were randomly assigned to one of two separate, independent study groups. Complications and adverse responses associated with the placement and use of the implants will be evaluated and all failures thoroughly documented. The experimental design and sample size are based on the primary hypothesis that an implant-supported prosthesis will be successful/functional over a 5-year period in at least 90 percent of the cases treated. Secondary hypotheses to be tested are (1) the success rate among implant designs are the same over a 5-year period; (2) the success rate among implant applications are the same over a 5-year period; (3) the success rate of individual implants are the same with regard to jaw location over a 5-year period; (4) the loss of crestal bone at the individual implant sites are the same among the implant designs over a 5-year period; and (5) the complications and adverse responses experienced with the different implant designs are the same over a 5-year period. The experimental design of this multicenter, multidisciplinary, randomized investigation is a cooperative effort of the Department of Veterans Affairs and several United States dental schools. (Implant Dent 1992;1:49–55)