Microbiology of peri-implant infections

ABSTRACT

The oral cavity has numerous microbes, providing us with a balanced microbial environment, however conditions like periodontitis sometimes prevail leading to bone loss and eventually causing tooth loss if not treated appropriately. By the same token,even with implants, gram positive facultative flora, establishes shortly after implant placement and stable implants showed no significant shifts in the composition, where as failing implants showed presence of Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria, particularly fusobacteria, spirochetes, and black-pigmenting organisms such as Prevotella intermedia. Which leads to destruction of the peri-implant apparatus and eventual loss of the implant if not attended to in a timely fashion. It is important to understand the microbiological aspects of peri-implant disease in order to proffer appropriate treatment