Periodontists' Trends in the Management of Peri-implant Diseases.

Abstract

The scarce standard therapeutic protocols for the management of peri-implant diseases results in the empirical application of therapeutic modalities. The objective of this study was to carry out a survey to analyze the therapeutic trends of professionals with different academic backgrounds and levels of expertise. An exploratory cross-sectional internet-based study survey of board-certified members of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) was conducted. To assess the therapeutic trends, four clinical vignettes representing different scenarios of peri-implant biologic complications were provided to the participants. Differences in practice patterns were determined using chi-square test and Student t test or analysis of variance (ANOVA) test for qualitative variables. A total of 268 members of the AAP and EFP completed the survey. A significant difference in preferred treatment plan was found between EFP and AAP periodontists, resective therapy being the treatment of choice by the majority of the former (41.2%) and regenerative therapy by the latter (48.9%; P < .001). Overall, 48.1% of experts did not consider any intervention for the management of mucositis. Antibiotic prescriptions differed among groups, with statistical significance in each clinical case, and the explantation criteria were inconsistent and differed significantly among groups. Substantial variations exist concerning the decision-making to manage peri-implant diseases and conditions.