Peri-implantitis and the Effect of the Implant Surface at Placement

Modern root-form endosseous dental implants have been used to successfully replace missing teeth for more than four decades. The implant industry has grown substantially during this time, with many hundreds of dental implant manufacturers providing components for clinicians around the globe. Increased acceptance of dental implants has greatly amplified the number of dental implants placed worldwide. As the dental implant patient population continues to age, long-term follow-up after implant placement has become increasingly important due to various factors associated with the condition and maintenance of implants placed. Although dental implants exhibit a high success rate as a medical device, their life expectancy may be limited depending on the patient's changing health, use of medications, lifestyle changes, nutrition, occlusal/bite issues, loss of additional teeth, experiences of trauma, lack of sufficient keratinized soft tissue, loss of bony support, and oral hygiene habits. When loss of soft-tissue coverage and/or bone occurs, the resultant inflammation surrounding the implant is known as peri-implantitis.