Periimplantitis Treatment: Long-Term Comparison of Laser Decontamination and Implantoplasty Surgery.

PURPOSE: Periimplantitis is the most frequent cause of late implant failure; however, little is known about the long-term success of periimplantitis treatment and the effectiveness of various therapeutic interventions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 142 patients were referred to the Academy for Oral Implantology in Vienna for the treatment of recurrent periimplantitis around single-tooth implants. Of them, 72 patients (51%) were treated by laser decontamination, 47 patients (33%) by implantoplasty surgery, and 23 patients (16%) by a combination of both approaches.

RESULTS: Overall success of periimplantitis therapy was 89% after 9 years of follow-up, and it did not differ significantly between female and male patients (P = 0.426). The number of implant failures that could not be prevented by periimplantitis treatment was 6 after laser decontamination (8%), 6 after implantoplasty surgery (13%), and 4 after a combination of both therapies (17%). Implant loss occurred after 4.9 ± 1.9 years of therapy, on average. No significant difference between the 3 treatment groups could be observed (P = 0.393).

CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that success rates of periimplantitis therapy with either laser decontamination or surgical implantoplasty are high. These success rates do not appear to be associated with patient gender or treatment strategy.