Peri-implantitis management
Peri-implantitis management
Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory condition around dental implants that causes bone loss and can eventually lead to loss of the implant. Although dental implants are generally very successful, peri-implantitis can still occur and remains a difficult complication to treat. This thesis of Jarno Hakkers investigated which factors influence both the development and treatment of this condition.
The studies showed that implant- and prosthesis-related factors may influence the long-term health of the tissues around implants. In addition, the bacterial composition around implants remained largely unchanged after surgical treatment of peri-implantitis. However, certain bacterial species were found more often in patients with less favorable treatment outcomes.
The usefulness of prescribing antibiotics was also investigated. In both non-surgical and surgical treatment, antibiotics appeared to provide only limited and temporary benefits. Because no long-term advantages were found and antibiotic use carries risks, routine use does not seem desirable.
In larger bone defects around implants, rebuilding the lost bone resulted in higher radiographic bone levels and less gum recession, although overall disease resolution was similar to treatment without bone reconstruction. Finally, a relatively new implant cleaning method, known as electrolytic cleaning, showed promising results in removing bacterial biofilm and supporting healing.
Overall, this thesis shows that peri-implantitis is a complex condition that requires a personalized approach, in which patient-, implant-, prosthesis-, and tissue-related factors are important when choosing the most appropriate treatment.