Ten‐year follow‐up after peri‐implantitis treatment using resective surgery: A case report
Authors: César Neto João Batista , dos Reis Isabella Neme Ribeiro , Lazarin Rafael Oliveira , Naenni Nadja , Villar Cristina Cunha , Pannuti Claudio Mendes 
Published: August 2024

Background

Peri‐implantitis poses significant challenges in clinical practice, necessitating effective therapeutic strategies. This case report presents a comprehensive treatment approach for managing peri‐implantitis, focusing on resective surgery, including implantoplasty and long‐term maintenance.

Methods

We describe the case of a 50‐year‐old female patient with peri‐implantitis affecting a maxillary full‐arch implant‐supported rehabilitation. The treatment strategy involved resective surgery with implantoplasty, a new maxillary overdenture, and a regular maintenance care schedule of three to four visits per year. Clinical and radiographic assessments were performed over a 10‐year follow‐up period.

Results

Post‐treatment, all maxillary implants demonstrated no probing depths exceeding 4 mm, absence of bleeding on probing or suppuration, minimal plaque accumulation, and no further bone loss. Resective surgery with implantoplasty seems to have effectively provided submucosal decontamination and created a supra‐mucosal implant surface conducive to oral hygiene. Despite regular maintenance, some mandibular implants exhibited bone loss during the follow‐up period and were managed using the same approach as for the maxillary implants.

Conclusions

The comprehensive treatment approach yielded favorable long‐term clinical and radiographic outcomes, underscoring the effectiveness of the combined strategies in managing peri‐implantitis. Nevertheless, the potential for recurrence or the development of peri‐implantitis in new implants, even after a decade of successful treatment and strict maintenance, highlights the importance of ongoing, diligent care and regular evaluations to promptly diagnose and address these issues.

Key points

Why is this case new information?

The long‐term effectiveness of peri‐implantitis treatments, particularly involving implantoplasty, remains under‐documented. This case provides insights from a 10‐year follow‐up on the efficacy of a comprehensive approach for managing peri‐implantitis. Furthermore, these findings illustrate the potential for new peri‐implantitis to develop, regardless of sustained peri‐implant health and rigorous maintenance. This finding highlights the critical role of continuous monitoring for the early diagnosis and treatment of new implants exhibiting peri‐implantitis.

What are the keys to the successful management of this case?

The success of this case hinged on a comprehensive treatment approach that combines surgical intervention associated with implantoplasty to remove implant threads, thereby creating smoother surfaces, less retentive for plaque accumulation. A critical aspect of this approach was also the redesign of prosthetic components to improve hygiene accessibility, continuous monitoring, and consistent maintenance care.

What are the primary limitations to success in this case?

The primary challenge in achieving success in this case was the prevention of new implants with peri‐implantitis, despite the patient's consistent adherence to the maintenance program. Moreover, a critical evaluation of implant characteristics, particularly their susceptibility to mechanical failures, is paramount when performing implantoplasty. Furthermore, aligning patient expectations with the realistic esthetic and functional outcomes of the treatment is often challenging.

Plain language summary

Peri‐implantitis, an inflammatory disease affecting dental implants, is quite challenging to treat. This case report describes how a 50‐year‐old woman with this condition was successfully treated and maintained over 10 years. The approach included a surgical method called resective surgery, which involved reshaping the bone defect (osteoplasty) and smoothing the implant surface (implantoplasty). Additionally, she was fitted with a new upper denture and had regular follow‐up visits three to four times a year. After ten years, her upper implants were stable with no signs of infection or further bone loss, and they were easy to keep clean. Some of her lower implants did experience inflammation with progressive bone loss during this time, but they were managed using the same surgical procedure as for her upper implants. This 10‐year case report highlights positive and stable clinical results after resective surgery for treating peri‐implantitis and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and regular check‐ups for maintenance, early diagnosis, and management of peri‐implantitis over the long term.