Results from a large independent study on peri-implantitis have shown there are substantial differences between implant systems and the occurrence of peri-implantitis, an inflammation around dental implants that leads to implant loss if not treated.
Using the national data register of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, Dr Jan Derks and colleagues from Gothenburg University in Sweden randomly selected 427 implant patients from a population of approximately 25,000 patients treated 9 years previously by more than 800 clinicians. The selected patients were assessed for typical indicators of peri-implantitis, including bone loss, bleeding, and pocket depth around their implants.
The investigators observed that the extent of moderate/severe peri-implantitis2 differed between the implant systems and that the odds ratio of developing it was more than three times higher in the patients treated with Nobel Biocare and Astra Tech Implant System implants. With some exceptions, the Nobel Biocare implants had a TiUnite® surface and the Astra Tech implants had a TiOblast® surface; all the Straumann implants were Tissue Level SLA®.
The results, which were presented at the 2015 EAO and have now been published in the Journal of Dental Research1, add weight to previously reported findings showing high success rates with Straumann implants3,4,5,6,7. The findings are highly relevant for dentists who base their choice of implant on independent clinical evidence.