Peri - implantitis Björn Klinge , DDS , Odont Dra

At the turn of the millennium, marketing estimates indicated that over 2 million dental implants are installed annually, and this number is expected to rise further over the next few years. It is evident that the installation of oral implants is a routine procedure in the reconstruction of fully or partially edentulous individuals. Like natural teeth, the artificial abutments penetrate the oral mucosa and reach the contaminated oral cavity. When challenged by bacteria within the biofilms formed on implant surfaces, the peri-implant tissue response seems to follow patterns similar to those of the periodontal tissues in a susceptible host [1–3]. Documentation of implant therapy has so far included only exceptional reports on the destructive lesions around implants [4–6]. A systematic review of the incidence of biologic implant complications reported that data on peri-implantitis were provided in only 35% to 45% of the included studies on overdentures, fixed complete dentures, and fixed partial dentures [7]. One factor that may have influenced the detection of peri-implantitis is the historical dogma that probing around implants should be avoided. Another possible reason may be the rare occurrence of peri-implantitis in studies of short-term duration; observation periods exceeding 5 years may be required to detect tissue destruction around implants [8]. Peri-implantitis is defined as an inflammatory reaction with the loss of supporting bone in the tissues surrounding a functioning implant [9]. The overall frequency of peri-implantitis was reported to be 5% to 8% for selected implant systems [7]. A site-specific infection comparable to chronic