ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the Mucosal Emergence Angle (MEA) with peri-implant tissue mucositis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with 103 posterior bone level implants underwent clinical and radiographic examination. Three-dimensional data from Cone Bean Computer Tomography and Optica Scan were transposed. Three angles were defined: MEA, Deep Angle (DA) and Total Angle (TA) and measured at six sites for each implant. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between MEA and Bleeding on Probing for all sites with an overall odds ratio of odd ratio 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.09, p < 0.001). Sites with MEA ≥ 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, and 70° had a higher risk for bleeding with an odds ratio of 3.1, 5, 7.5, 11.4 and 33.55, respectively. When all 6 sites of an implant prostheses had MEA ≥ 40°, the risk of having bleeding at all 6 sites was 9.5 times higher (95% CI 1.70-52.97, p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining MEA no wider than 30°-40° is advisable, while the aim should be to keep this angle as narrow as clinically feasible. Registered in Thai Clinical Trials Registry: http://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20220204002.
