Peri-implant disease: current understanding and future direction.

Abstract

Because dental implant treatment is becoming a routine part of daily dental practice, it is essential that clinicians are able to assess the health of dental implants, develop preventive strategies for maintaining the fixtures, and implement treatment strategies for ailing or failing implants. Any practitioner who is involved with dental implant treatment should have an understanding of peri-implant diseases, appropriate diagnostic tools to monitor these conditions, and appropriate skills for peri-implant treatment.Dental implants are often the treatment of choice for the replacement of a missing tooth or teeth. Although implants are considered to be a predictable treatment option, peri-implant diseases do occur, posing significant challenges for both clinician and patient (Mardinger et al, 2008). Dental implant failures can be divided into two groups, based on the time of failure.