Abstract
BackgroundThis retrospective study evaluated soft-tissue grafting as a surgical treatment option for peri-implantitis in case of unsuitable basic skeletal morphology of the alveolar bone and lack of keratinized mucosa.MethodsTwenty-eight patients (21 females, 7 males, at a mean age 59.4 years) were included with a total of 54 implants. All implants showed peri-implantitis and attached keratinized buccal mucosa of ≤2 mm. A surgical procedure of soft-tissue grafting (STG) was made by inserting an inlay and inlay-onlay transplant. Clinical investigations were made prior to the STG (baseline) and after 9–180 months (Ø 43 months) including the following parameters: soft-tissue biotype, skeletal basic morphology of the alveolar bone, width of the peri-implant keratinized mucosa (KM), mobility of the KM, pocket probing depth (PPD), and bleeding on probing (BOP).ResultsNearly all patients showed a thin soft-tissue biotype. The analysis of the skeletal basic morphology of the alveolar bone revealed a narrow apical base in 18 patients, middle base in 7 patients, and broad base in 3 patients. Width of the KM increased significantly (p < 0.01) from 0.4 ± 0,5 mm to 4.3 ± 1.5 mm after STG and PPD was significantly (p < 0,01) reduced from 6.3 ± 2,3 mm to 4.1 ± 1.9 mm. A significant reduction (p < 0.01) in BOP was recorded. All patients reported a clinical improvement of the inflammatory symptoms at follow-up.ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that the STG can be applied successfully as a surgical treatment of peri-implantitis. It remains unclear whether soft-tissue biotype or the skeletal basic morphology of the alveolar bone affects the outcome of this surgical treatment.
Highlights
This retrospective study evaluated soft-tissue grafting as a surgical treatment option for peri-implantitis in case of unsuitable basic skeletal morphology of the alveolar bone and lack of keratinized mucosa
This was confirmed in an animal study of Benghazi et al, they showed in their study that in case of missed keratinized mucosa, bone resorption and prevalence of soft-tissue recession could be reduced through soft-tissue grafting [10]
The soft-tissue grafting procedure seems to be reasonable from a palliative point of view because the peri-implant recurrent inflammatory symptoms lead to explantation with superstructure loss which affects the quality of life for patients
Summary
This retrospective study evaluated soft-tissue grafting as a surgical treatment option for peri-implantitis in case of unsuitable basic skeletal morphology of the alveolar bone and lack of keratinized mucosa. That an adequate keratinized mucosa at the implant site leads to a reduced plaque accumulation, a reduced inflammatory mucosal infiltration, and a pro-inflammatory mediator release [9]. This was confirmed in an animal study of Benghazi et al, they showed in their study that in case of missed keratinized mucosa, bone resorption and prevalence of soft-tissue recession could be reduced through soft-tissue grafting [10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
