A Fixed Reconstruction of Partially Edentulous Patient With Systemic Scleroderma: A 4.8-year Follow-Up Case Report

Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a progressive autoimmune multisystem disease affecting several organs. In the oral cavity, its manifestations include enlarged periodontal ligament, xerostomia, microsomia, alveolar bone loss, and premature teeth loss. A removable prosthesis would not be a treatment option due to loss of hand dexterity, reduced chewing capacity, microsomia, and xerostomia in these patients. Alternatively, implant-supported fixed restorations are a plausible treatment for these patients. However, there is very limited literature showing implant survival rate in patients with SSc for a long follow-up.

A 57-year-old female patient with SSc presented to our clinic. She was diagnosed with SSc 25 years ago. Initial clinical and radiological examination revealed that she showed slight to moderate chronic periodontitis, tooth cavities, remaining tooth tips, and a partial edentulism in the posterior areas. A total of seven implants were placed at different time points. The remaining upper teeth were crowned. At 4.8 years follow-up, the placed implants showed no sign of peri-implant disease.

This case report indicated that 4.8 years of follow-up revealed good oral hygiene and clinically or radiologically no sign of peri-implant disease around the implants in a patient with SSc. Implant-supported fixed restoration could be a viable treatment approach in these patients.