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[Reliability of some clinical parameters in implant dentistry]
M S Cune1, J W Verhoeven, C de Putter
1Vakgroep Mondziekten, Kaakchirurgie en Bijzondere Tandheelkunde van de faculteit Geneeskunde van de Universiteit Utrecht.
Objective:
This study evaluates if clinical tests that are commonly used to evaluate tissues surrounding natural teeth are equally valid in clinical evaluation of dental implants.
Design:
A retrospective clinical study.
Setting:
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontics and Special Dental Care of the University of Utrecht.
Method:
The use of a plaque index, a gingival index, probing depth measurements and the Periotest was evaluated by relating the findings to the image on a radiograph in 16 patients, involving 32 IMZ implants.
Results:
The four clinical tests show poor sensitivity and in general only fair specificity.
Conclusion:
The parameters are unreliable and unfit for clinical evaluation in implant dentistry during regular recall visits. Radiographs are needed to evaluate the condition of a dental implant and to detect critical marginal bone changes surrounding dental implants at an early stage.