Dental implants are now widely used to replace missing teeth and periodontal disease is an important cause of tooth loss. As implants themselves can suffer from peri-implantitis it is therefore of interest to as to whether patients with a history of periodontitis are of higher risk of implant failure. This critical appraisal of a 2010 review by Saffii et al was prepared under auspicies of the American Dental Association Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry.
The commentator notes that the review included only six observational studies that included a small number of patients so provided only limited evidence indicating that patients with periodontal disease are at higher risk of implant failure.
Safii SH, Palmer RM, Wilson RF. Risk of implant failure and marginal bone loss in subjects with a history of periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 2010 Sep;12(3):165-74. Epub 2009 May 7. Review. PubMed PMID: 19438942.
Related reviews
Esposito M, Grusovin MG, Worthington HV. Interventions for replacing missing teeth: treatment of peri-implantitis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004970. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004970.pub5.
Grusovin MG, Coulthard P, Worthington HV, George P, Esposito M. Interventions for replacing missing teeth: maintaining and recovering soft tissue health around dental implants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD003069. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003069.pub4
