Severity and pattern of peri‐implantitis‐associated bone loss

Fransson C, Tomasi C, Sundén Pikner S, Gröndahl K, Wennström JL, Leyland AH, Berglundh T. Severity and pattern of peri‐implantitis‐associated bone loss. J Clin Periodontol 2010; 37: 442–448. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐051X.2010.01537.x. Abstract Objective: The purpose of the present study was to describe the severity and pattern of peri‐implantitis‐associated bone loss. Material and Methods: Intra‐oral radiographs from 182 subjects were analysed. Bone‐level measurements were performed in 419 implants with a history of bone loss. All radiographs obtained in the interval from the 1‐year follow‐up to the end‐point examination (5–23 years) were analysed. The amount of bone loss that occurred from 1 year after prosthesis insertion was assessed and the pattern of bone loss was evaluated. Results: The average bone loss after the first year of function was 1.68 mm and 32% of the implants demonstrated bone loss 2 mm. The multilevel model revealed that the bone loss showed a non‐linear pattern and that the rate of bone loss increased over time. The model also revealed that the pattern of peri‐implantitis associated bone loss was similar within the same subject. Conclusion: It is suggested that peri‐implantitis‐associated bone loss varies between subjects and is, in most cases, characterized by a non‐linear progression, with the rate of loss increasing over time.