Peri-implantitis induction and resolution around zirconia versus titanium implants.

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Biomaterials Science
• Periodontology

Background:

• Peri-implantitis is a common complication following dental implant placement.
• Titanium and zirconia are widely used dental implant materials with distinct properties.
• Understanding their comparative behavior in defect development and regeneration is crucial for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the progression of ligature-induced peri-implant defects between titanium and zirconia implants.
• To evaluate the efficacy of regenerative surgical intervention in these defects for both implant materials.
• To assess radiographic and clinical outcomes following regenerative surgery.

Main Methods:

• Eight tissue-level implants (4 titanium, 4 zirconia) were placed in foxhounds.
• Ligatures induced peri-implantitis for 16 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of spontaneous progression.
• Radiographs monitored bone loss; regenerative surgery involved water-jet decontamination, enamel matrix derivative, and autogenous bone grafting.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the rate of radiographic bone loss between titanium and zirconia implants (p=0.09).
• Both materials showed significant radiographic bone gain after regenerative surgery.
• Titanium implants achieved a significantly greater percentage of defect fill (51.56%) compared to zirconia (37.98%) (p=0.03).

Conclusions:

• The rate of peri-implant defect development is similar for titanium and zirconia implants.
• Regenerative surgery effectively promotes bone gain for both materials.
• Titanium implants demonstrated superior defect fill percentage, while final clinical parameters were comparable between groups.