Non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis at zirconia implants: a prospective case series.

Abstract

To assess the efficacy of non-surgical therapy for the management of peri-implant diseases at a two-piece zirconium implant system. Thirty-four patients with 45 implants participated in this study. Seventeen patients (24 implants) were diagnosed with peri-implant mucositis and received mechanical debridement+local antiseptic therapy using chlorhexidine digluconate (MD+CXH), while 17 patients (21 implants) diagnosed with peri-implantitis were assigned to Er:YAG laser therapy. In both groups, post-operative maintenance care included supramucosal plaque removal and local pocket irrigation using CHX. The primary endpoint was defined as disease resolution at 6months (i.e. absence of bleeding upon probing (BOP) at mucositis sites/absence of BOP and probing pocket depths (PD) ≥6mm at peri-implantitis sites). Resolution of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis was obtained in 9/17 (52.9%) (p=0.001) and 5/17 (29.4%) (p=0.02) of the patients respectively. Non-surgical treatment of either peri-implant mucositis using MD+CHX or peri-implantitis using ERL at zirconia implants was associated with significant short-term clinical improvements. A complete disease resolution, however, was not achieved in the majority of the patients.