Long-Term Outcomes of Tooth-Implant-Supported Rehabilitation of Periodontally Compromised and Treated Patients Refusing Bone Grafting Surgical Therapies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term incidence of complications in abutment teeth and dental implants in periodontally treated and maintained patients, refusing bone grafting surgical therapies, rehabilitated with full-arch telescopic-retained retrievable prostheses (TRPs) and full-arch fixed prosthesis (FPs), both supported by teeth-implants combination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After active periodontal therapy, 18 patients were rehabilitated with full-arch TRPs, whereas 17 patients were rehabilitated with full-arch FPs. Patients were annually evaluated for technical and/or biological failures/complications. RESULTS: During the 15-year observation period, 6 of 164 (3.6%) implants failed and 19 of 233 teeth were extracted (9.2%) in the TRPs group, whereas 6 of 152 (3.9%) implants failed and 23 of 221 (10.4%) abutment teeth were extracted in the FPs group. Differences in implant failures and abutment teeth loss between the 2 groups were not statistically significant. In both the groups, Cox regressions identified significant difference (P < 0.05) for mean initial bone loss, aggressive periodontitis, and smoking, as factors contributing to tooth loss and implant failures in general. CONCLUSION: In periodontally treated patients, refusing bone grafting surgical therapies, rehabilitated with full-arch TRPs and full-arch fixed prostheses, both supported by teeth-implants connection, high survival rates can be expected if regular supportive periodontal therapy had been performed.

Restoration of Periodontally Compromised Dentitions Using Telescopic Full-Arch Retrievable Prosthesis Supported by Tooth-Implant Combination: A Long-Term Retrospective Study.

Advanced periodontal disease is often associated with severe loss of tooth support, necessitating prosthetic rehabilitation to restore function and esthetics. For tooth-supported restorations, periodontally compromised teeth may need to be extracted due to early failure from functional overload. For tooth/implant-supported restorations, implants can be used to reduce the overload on teeth and to avoid tooth extraction, bone augmentation, or other risks associated with implant placement. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of full-arch, retrievable, telescopic-retained prostheses (TRPs) on teeth and implants according to survival rate analyses and technical and biologic complications in full-mouth rehabilitation of periodontally compromised dentitions. A total of 18 periodontally compromised patients (7 women, 11 men) with a mean age of 46.8 years (SD: 6.3 years; range: 32 to 64 years) were selected to receive supplementary implants with the aim of extensive prosthetic support in combined tooth/implant TRPs and annually evaluated for technical and/or biologic failures/complications. After a follow-up period of 15 years, all prostheses were in function. Complication rates were low, and maintenance services were limited to minor interventions. Combined tooth/implant TRPs improve prosthetic support and offer successful function over the long term in patients with periodontally compromised dentition.

Factors Influencing the Soft Tissue Changes Around Single Laser Microtextured Implants-Abutments in the Anterior Maxilla: A 5-Year Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible factors that influenced the periimplant soft tissue changes around single implants-abutments with laser-microtextured surface (LMS) in the esthetic zone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine units, formed by implant-abutment with LMS were studied. Variables possibly associated with the periimplant soft tissue changes were obtained from clinical measurements (plaque [present/absent], periimplant biotype [thin/thick], and probing depth); intrasurgical measurements (vertical height in millimeters of the keratinized gingiva in the vestibular part of the implant site vestibular keratinized gingiva [VKG], implant vestibular crestal exposition, vestibular crestal level, and vestibular bone width); cast models (implant position [buccal/palatal], implant abutments angle); periapical radiographs (distance from the contact point to the interproximal bone crest of the adjacent tooth [CP-BC], distance from the contact point to the implant platform [CP-P], distance from the contact point to the first bone to implant contact [CP-IB]); and digital clinical photographs. Fisher exact test was used to determine the influence of each factor on the papilla level and on the facial marginal mucosal level. RESULTS: The papillae level at the implant sites was significantly associated with the distance from the contact point to the alveolar bone crest, whereas no association was found with other variables. Periimplant biotype, differences in the VKG, CP-BC, and CP-IB were found associated with the different facial marginal mucosal level groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the papilla level at single-tooth implants-abutments with LMS in the anterior maxilla was mainly influenced by the interproximal bone crest level of the adjacent tooth, whereas the marginal mucosal level was affected by periimplant biotype, facial bone crest level, and crestal implant exposition.

Clinical, Radiographic, and Histologic Evaluation of Maxillary Sinus Lift Procedure Using a Highly Purified Xenogenic Graft (Laddec(®)).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, radiographic and histologic results when a highly purified xenogenic bone (Laddec(®)) was used as grafting material in maxillary sinuses. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In fifteen patients requiring unilateral maxillary sinus augmentation, the grafting procedure was performed with Laddec(®). Forty-two implants were installed after a 6 month healing period. The height of the augmented sinus was measured radiographically immediately after augmentation and postoperatively up to 36 months. At the time of implant placement, a bone core was harvested in each patient for histological examination. RESULTS: The cumulative implant survival rate was 97.6%. The original height was 3.65 (SD 0.7) mm and the augmented sinus height was 13.8 (SD 1.4) mm after the surgery. The reduced height of grafted xenogenic material (RDL) at the implant insertion was 0.83 (SD 0.38) mm, and at the final postoperative visit was 0.91 (SD 0.25) mm, showing no significant correlation with the follow-up periods by Spearman's test (P = 0.118). In addition, no significant difference in the RDL was observed according to the site of implantation (P = 0.682). The mean implant marginal bone loss was 0.38 (SD 0.24) mm. Histological analysis showed the bone cores were composed of 64.72 (SD 3.44)% newly formed bone, 17.41 (SD 2.02)% connective tissue, 16.93 (SD 2.83)% residual graft particles, and 0.94 (SD 0.11)% inflammatory cells. CONCLUSIONS: According to our data, the highly purified xenogenic bone (Laddec(®)), used as graft material in the sinus lift procedure, may create adequate bone volume, and appropriate osseointegration of dental implants.

Influence of a Laser-Lok Surface on Immediate Functional Loading of Implants in Single-Tooth Replacement: Three-Year Results of a Prospective Randomized Clinical Study on Soft Tissue Response and Esthetics.

The purpose of the present prospective randomized study was to evaluate the influence of Laser-Lok microtextured surface on soft tissue peri-implant parameters and esthetics around immediate, functionally loaded implants for single-tooth replacement in the esthetic zone. This study included 77 patients divided into two groups based on different implants used: the control group had BioHorizons tapered internal non-Laser-Lok-type implants (NLL; n = 39) and the test group had BioHorizons tapered internal Laser-Lok-type implants (LL; n = 39). Outcome measures were survival, radiographic marginal bone-level changes, soft tissue parameters, and esthetics. One implant was lost in the test group and one in the control group, for a total survival rate of 96.1% after 3 years. Radiographically, mean crestal bone loss ± standard deviation was 0.59 ± 0.27 mm in the LL group compared with 1.17 ± 0.31 mm in the NLL group. A mean gain in papilla level of 0.41 ± 0.34 mm and 0.17 ± 0.36 mm was observed in the LL and the NLL groups, respectively, while the level of the midfacial peri-implant mucosa remained stable in both groups with no statistically significant differences (0.08 ± 0.42 mm for the LL group vs 0.06 ± 0.36 mm for the NLL group). The mean probing depth values in the LL and NLL groups were 0.58 ± 0.2 mm and 1.89 ± 0.3 mm, respectively. Within the limitations of this study, it was demonstrated that the clinical and esthetic outcome of immediate functional loading was more favorable for LL implants than for NLL implants.

Bisphosphonate therapy and osteonecrosis of the jaw complicated with a temporal abscess in an elderly woman with rheumatoid arthritis: a case report.

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is an adverse drug reaction described as the progressive destruction and death of bone tissue of the mandible or maxilla, in the course of bisphosphonate therapy. Orally administered bisphosphonates, widely used for the treatment of osteoporosis, are rarely associated with BRONJ. Instead, the risk greatly increases whether the patient is concomitantly taking steroid and/or immunosuppressant agents. The aims of this paper are to briefly discuss the evidence of the associations between bisphosphonate therapy and BRONJ, and the effects of co-occurring factors such as the presence of rheumatoid arthritis, dental surgery, and concomitant corticosteroid therapy. In particular, we present the case of an elderly woman with BRONJ suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, with a recent dental extraction and with a very unusual complication: a temporal abscess, who was successfully treated.