Correlation between horizontal mucosal thickness and probing depths at healthy and diseased implant sites

Objectives To assess the horizontal mucosal thickness (hMT) at healthy and diseased implant sites and correlate these measurements with respective probing depths (PD). Materials and methods In 60 patients, hMT was assessed at the buccal aspect of healthy (n = 36) and diseased (peri‐implant mucositis: n = 26; peri‐implantitis: n = 167) implant sites using a validated ultrasonic A‐scanner (Pirop® Ultrasonic Biometer A‐ Scan, Echo‐Son, Krancowa, Poland) equipped with a specially designed tissue probe. The corresponding PD values were measured at the mid‐buccal aspects. Results Median hMT (1.10 mm) at healthy implant sites was significantly lower when compared with diseased sites (1.68 mm; 1.61 mm) (P < 0.001, respectively). These values did not markedly differ by implant location (i.e., upper/lower jaws) or position (i.e., anterior/posterior sites). The regression model failed to reveal a significant linear association between hMT and PD values at healthy and diseased implant sites. Conclusion This study has pointed to a significant increase of hMT values at diseased implant sites.