Postoperative complications in smoking patients treated with implants: a retrospective study

To identify the risk of complications (eg, implant loss, infection, peri-implantitis, and mucositis) in a group of patients treated with osseointegrated implants and to assess the effect of smoking on this risk.

A retrospective cohort study of patients treated in the Unit of Implantology, University of Barcelona Faculty of Dentistry was performed. All patients had already undergone prosthetic treatment, and the minimal follow-up time after implant surgery was 6 months.

A total of 295 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 56.9% were women and 43.1% were men. They received a total of 1,033 implants. There were 209 complications (32 cases of implant loss, 2 cases of infection, 70 cases of peri-implantitis, and 105 cases of mucositis). The smoking habit was associated with an increased risk of complications (P = .008).

Smokers had an increased risk of complications, including infection, implant loss, mucositis, and peri-implantitis, compared with nonsmoking patients.