Non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis at zirconia implants: a prospective case series

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of non-surgical therapy for the management of peri-implant diseases at a two-piece zirconium implant system.

Material & methods: Thirty-four patients with 45 implants participated in this study. Seventeen patients (24 implants) were diagnosed with peri-implant mucositis and received mechanical debridement + local antiseptic therapy using chlorhexidine digluconate (MD + CXH), while 17 patients (21 implants) diagnosed with peri-implantitis were assigned to Er:YAG laser therapy. In both groups, post-operative maintenance care included supramucosal plaque removal and local pocket irrigation using CHX. The primary endpoint was defined as disease resolution at 6 months (i.e. absence of bleeding upon probing (BOP) at mucositis sites/absence of BOP and probing pocket depths (PD) ≥6 mm at peri-implantitis sites).

Results: Resolution of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis was obtained in 9/17 (52.9%) (p = 0.001) and 5/17 (29.4%) (p = 0.02) of the patients respectively.

Conclusion: Non-surgical treatment of either peri-implant mucositis using MD + CHX or peri-implantitis using ERL at zirconia implants was associated with significant short-term clinical improvements. A complete disease resolution, however, was not achieved in the majority of the patients.