Knowledge and attitude towards retrograde peri-implantitis among Italian implantologists: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background: Retrograde peri-implantitis (RPI) is a pathological entity with an unclear etiology (e.g., overheating during implant insertion, residual infection of the tooth replaced by the implant or the endodontic lesion of neighboring teeth) and an extremely low prevalence and has been scarcely investigated. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Italian implantologists regarding RPI. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was sent via email to implantologists randomly selected, including a section about demographic information and questions related to RPI origin, radiographic representation, symptoms and treatment options. All questions were multiple answer and close-ended. Binomial logistic regression was performed to investigate the relationship between correct answers and the following independent variables: age, years of experience and number of dental implants placed per year. Results: In total, 475 implantologists completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 46.3%. Based on the results of the study, incorrect answers were associated with less experienced participants (<80 implants/year) for all questions evaluated, with the exception of treatment strategies. Furthermore, 26.7% of the survey takers did not recognize radiographic representation of RPI and 35.5% picked "implant removal" when asked about treatment modality. Conclusions: The majority of participants were able to recognize symptoms and indicated the probable causes of RPI; however, around 30% of them showed very limited knowledge of available management strategies

Association between subclinical atherosclerosis and oral inflammation: a cross-sectional study

Background: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) values and periodontal and peri-implant diseases in a sample of patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 151 participants with presence of at least one dental implant in function for >5 years were recruited. Anthropometric measurements, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ultrasound assessment of carotid arteries (c-IMT and presence of plaque) were recorded and venous blood samples obtained. An oral examination was performed by calibrated examiners to ascertain prevalence and severity of periodontal and peri-implant diseases. Binomial logistic regression was performed to investigate the potential association between various measures of exposure of dental diseases and predictors of cardiovascular risk (c-IMT > 0.9 mm and presence of plaque or their combination). Results: Diagnosis of periodontitis (OR 6.71, 95% CI: 2.68-16.76, P < 0.001), cumulative mucosal/gingival inflammation (Periodontal Screening and Recording score) (OR 1.25, 95% CI:1.12-1.41, P < 0.001), and mucositis (OR 3.34, 95% CI:1.13-9.85, P < 0.05) were associated with c-IMT > 0.9 mm and/or plaque presence independent of age, sex, smoking, 24 h systolic blood pressure and body mass index differences. No statistically significant results were noted for peri-implantitis. Linear regression models confirmed a positive association of cumulative mucosal/gingival inflammation (β = 0.011, SE 0.002, P < 0.001), diagnosis of periodontitis (β = 0.114, SE 0.020, P < 0.001), and peri-implant diseases (β = 0.011, SE 0.002, P < 0.001) with increased c-IMT values. Conclusions: This study confirms a positive association between mucosal/gingival inflammation and subclinical atherosclerosis assessed by c-IMT values and the presence of carotid plaque in patients with hypertension, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Future studies are needed to further characterize this relationship

Reliability assessment of the 2018 classification case definitions of peri-implant health, peri-implant mucositis, and peri-implantitis

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and accuracy in the assignment of the case definitions of peri-implant health and diseases according to the 2018 Classification of Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases and Conditions. MethodsTen undergraduate students, 10 general dentists, and 10 experts in implant dentistry participated in this study. All examiners were provided with clinical and radiographic documentation of 25 dental implants. Eleven out the 25 cases were also accompanied by baseline readings. Examiners were asked to define all cases using the 2018 classification case definitions. Reliability among examiners was evaluated using the Fleiss kappa statistic. Accuracy was estimated using percentage of complete agreement and quadratic weighted kappa for pairwise comparisons between each rater and a gold standard diagnosis. ResultsThe Fleiss kappa was 0.50 (95% CI: 0.48 to 0.51) and the mean quadratic weighted kappa value was 0.544. Complete agreement with the gold standard diagnosis was achieved in 59.8% of the cases. Expertise in implantology affected accuracy positively (p < 0.001) while the absence of baseline readings affected it negatively (p < 0.001). ConclusionBoth reliability and accuracy in assigning case definitions to dental implants according to the 2018 classification were mostly moderate. Some difficulties arose in the presence of specific challenging scenarios

The prevalence of peri-implant diseases in patients with metabolic syndrome: a case-control study on an Italian population sample

BACKGROUND: The correlation of peri-implantitis with systemic diseases is still highly debated and controversial in literature. The objective of this work was to evaluate the possible association between peri-implant diseases and metabolic syndrome.METHODS: In this case-control study, subjects healthy or affected by metabolic syndrome, with at least one dental implant with > 5 years of functional loading were screened to detect peri-implant health or diseases. A complete full mouth periodontal and peri-implant examination at six sites was performed for each implant and standardized periapical X-ray were taken to evaluate marginal bone loss. Diagnostic Criteria of the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions were applied. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare means of recorded variables between the two groups, with a P< 0.05 value considered statistically significant. Sub-group analysis was performed for smoking (smokers vs. non-smokers), sex (males vs. females), implant site (maxillary vs. mandible) and type of prostheses (single crown vs. bridge).RESULTS: Forty-one patients were enrolled, divided into two groups, for a total of 132 dental implants: 71 in the metabolic syndrome group and 61 in the control group. The overall prevalence of peri-implant diseases (peri-implantitis + mucositis) in the two groups was, respectively, 93% vs. 63%, with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.4462 (95% CI: 2.6092; 21.2496) for the metabolic syndrome group (P< 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited sample, our results showed a statistically significant higher prevalence of periimplant diseases in patients with metabolic syndrome compared to healthy patients. Further longitudinal studies are needed to verify this relationship

Long-Term Clinical and Radiographic Analysis of Platform Matching and Platform Switching Implants in the Esthetic Zone: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The aims of this study are to retrospectively compare the clinical, radiographic and esthetic outcomes of platform switching (PS) and platform matching (PM) dental implants in the anterior maxilla after ≥ 10 years of functional loading. Methods: Marginal bone loss (MBL) levels were recorded; furthermore, peri-implant clinical parameters (PPD, BOP, PI) were collected and the Pink and White Esthetic scores (PES/WES) were used to evaluate the esthetic outcomes. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were performed to compare collected parameters among the two groups, with a p-value p = 0.028) and PPD values (3.69 ± 1.1 vs. 5.16 ± 1.09 mm, p p p > 0.05) and peri-implant diseases’ prevalence (p > 0.05). Conclusions: After 10 years, PS implants showed statistically significant lower MBL and PPD values and higher PES values compared to PM implants

Prevalence of peri-implant diseases among an Italian population of patients with metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study

Over the years, only few authors have studied the association of systemic conditions with peri-implantitis. The aim of this study is to detect frequency and severity of peri-implant diseases among an Italian population of patients affected by metabolic syndrome (MetS).METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with at least one dental implant with >5 years of functional loading were screened to evaluate metabolic, periodontal and peri-implant status. MetS diagnosis was established in accordance with the NCEP ATP III criteria, while case definitions of the 2017 World Workshop were adopted for peri-implant diseases. For each implant, probing pocket depths, mucosal redness, bleeding on probing, suppuration, plaque index and marginal bone loss were recorded. Multinomial logistic regression analysed the relationship between gender, diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, presence of periodontitis, smoking, type of prosthesis and location of implants and peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis. RESULTS: 183 patients was enrolled: in MetS subjects, peri-implantitis was detected in 36.9% (n = 31) of implants, while mucositis in 60.7% (n = 51), with an OR of 10.01(p = 0.005) for mucositis and OR 15.26 (p = 0.001) for peri-implantitis, compared to subjects without MetS, where 26.3% of implants showed peri-implantitis and 55.5% mucositis. No differences were found for smoking, implant location, gender and type of prosthetic rehabilitation. Patients with periodontitis showed a higher association with peri-implant mucositis (OR = 4.33) and peri-implantitis (OR = 9.00). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, patients affected by MetS showed a greater prevalence of peri-implant diseases, with further studies that need to confirm the possibility of this new possible risk indicator

The Use of a Non-Absorbable Membrane as an Occlusive Barrier for Alveolar Ridge Preservation: A One Year Follow-Up Prospective Cohort Study

The aims of this study were to obtain preliminary data and test the clinical efficacy of a novel nonporous dense-polytetrafluoroethylene (d-PTFE) membrane (permamem®, botiss) in alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) procedures with a flapless approach. A traumatic extraction was performed in the premolar maxillary area, and a d-PTFE membrane was used to seal the alveolar cavity: no biomaterial was used to graft the socket and the membrane was left intentionally exposed and stabilized with sutures. The membrane was removed after four weeks and dental implants were placed four months after the procedure. The primary outcome variables were defined as the dimensional changes in the ridge width and height after four months. A total of 15 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean width of the alveolar cavity was 8.9 ± 1.1 mm immediately after tooth extraction, while four months later a mean reduction of 1.75 mm was experienced. A mean vertical reduction of 0.9 ± 0.42 mm on the buccal aspect and 0.6 ± 0.23 mm on the palatal aspect were recorded at implant placement. Within the limitations of this study, the d-PTFE membrane proved to be effective in alveolar ridge preservation, with the outcomes of the regeneration not affected by the complete exposure of this biomaterial

Microbiological Profiles of Dental Implants in Metabolic Syndrome Patients: A Case-Control Study

There is a lack of knowledge on the possible influence of systemic conditions on peri-implantitis. The aim of this case-control study is to evaluate the difference in terms of oral pathogens’ concentrations in the peri-implant sulcus of a group of patients affected by metabolic syndrome (Mets) compared to healthy subjects. For each patient, peri-implant sulcular biofilm samples were obtained by inserting two sterile endodontic paper points in the deepest aspect of the peri-implant sulcus for 30 s. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate total bacterial counts of six pathogens. Patients were screened for peri-implant diseases and clinical and radiographic parameters were recorded. A total of 50 patients was enrolled in the study, 25 affected by Mets and 25 healthy. Significantly higher bacterial counts were discovered for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (p = 0.0008), Prevotella intermedia (p = 0.0477) and Staphylococcus aureus (p = 0.034) in MetS patients compared to healthy subjects. Performing a sub-group analysis, considering peri-implant status and dividing patients by MetS diagnosis, no statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences were found. For the first time, a correlation between MetS presence and a greater prevalence of some bacterial species in the peri-implant sulcus was reported, irrespectively from peri-implant status (health vs. disease)

Salivary Levels of Titanium, Nickel, Vanadium, and Arsenic in Patients Treated with Dental Implants: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Recent articles have hypothesized a possible correlation between dental implants dissolution products and peri-implantitis. The null hypothesis tested in this case-control study was that there would be no differences in salivary concentrations of titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni) and arsenic (As) ions among patients with dental implants, healthy (Group A) or affected by peri-implantitis (Group B), compared to subjects without implants and/or metallic prosthetic restorations (Group C). METHODS: Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to analyze saliva samples. One-way repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify statistically significant differences in the salivary level of Ti, V, Ni and As between the three groups. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study (42 males and 58 females), distributed in three groups: 50 patients in Group C, 26 patients in Group B and 24 patients Group B. In our study, concentrations of metallic ions were higher in Group A and B, compared to the control group, with the exception of vanadium. However, there were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) for metallic ions concentrations between Group A and Group B. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, there are no differences in titanium or other metals concentrations in saliva of patients with healthy or diseased implants