Marginal Bone and Keratinized Mucosa Alterations Around Sloped Implants Placed in Healed Sloped Crests: A Long-Term...

To improve the adaptation to bone level discrepancies of sloped alveolar crests, an implant with a sloped implant-abutment interface has been developed. In a previously reported international multicenter study, 65 sloped implants replaced single teeth with a buccolingual bone level discrepancy at least 3 months after tooth loss. The present study reports the long-term outcomes of one study center and also evaluates marginal bone and keratinized mucosa alterations around sloped implants in healed, sloped crests in a long-term follow-up. Implant survival, marginal bone levels, and buccal bone dimensions in relation to the implant shoulder level (assessed by periapical radiographs and CBCT), width of keratinized mucosa, and probing depths were observed. Two patients did not present for follow-up examinations. No implants were lost. The remaining 13 implants were followed for a mean period of 123 months. Mean marginal bone levels were maintained slightly coronal to implant shoulder level at the interproximal (0.13 mm) and the buccal aspects (0.57 mm). The width of keratinized mucosa improved significantly from delivery (1.85 mm) to the 1-year follow-up (3.39 mm) and was thereafter unchanged. Placing implants with a sloped shoulder in a healed crest with lingual-buccal bone level discrepancy resulted in circumferential marginal bone maintenance and improved width of the keratinized mucosa.