Probing Depth and Peri-implant Health as Related to Buccal and Lingual Bone Thickness Around Dental Implants: An Experimental Study.

Abstract

A retrospective chart review was conducted of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images captured between November 2019 and April 2021 on patients who underwent dental implant placement and had a periodontal charting. The buccal and lingual bone thickness around the implants was measured as an average of three measurements taken from the buccal and lingual aspects of implants. Implants with peri-implantitis were placed in group 1 while implants with peri-implant mucositis or peri-implant health were placed in group 2. A Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test was used to compare the differences between the bone thickness between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 93 CBCT radiographs were screened, resulting in the analysis of 15 CBCT images that contained both a dental implant and a corresponding periodontal charting. Of the 15 dental implants examined, five implants presented with peri-implantitis, one with peri-implant mucositis and nine with peri-implant health, rendering a percentage of patients with peri-implantitis at 33%. Within the limitations of this study, buccal bone thickness averaging ≥1.10 mm or midlingual probing depths (PDs) ≤3.4 mm correlates with a more favorable peri-implant response. Larger studies are needed to substantiate these findings.