Lateral Peri-Implantitis: Successful Management via Guided Bone Regeneration at Mandibular First Molar Implant

Infections occurring around implants are divided into marginal peri-implantitis and retrograde peri-implantitis (RPI). Marginal peri-implantitis starts in the crestal bone and progresses to the apical portion, and RPI starts in the apical bone and progresses to the coronal portion. However, lateral peri-implantitis (LPI) occurring on the side of the implant body has not yet been reported, and the cause is unclear. This 63-year-old male patient is a case of unusual bone resorption that occurred in the lateral portion of the implant body 26 months after lateral bone augmentation. The origin of LPI was an infection at the site of laterally augmented bone. Rather than implant removal, this report demonstrates an alternative treatment option of guided bone regeneration after the enucleation and detoxification of the implant surface with successful clinical and radiographic results for 2 years.