Clinical Research Directory

Inflammatory Biomarkers, Microbial Findings, and Clinical Characteristics Before and After Treatment of Peri-Implant Mucositis Around One-Piece and Two-Piece Dental Implants

The goal of this clinical study was to learn whether the design of a dental implant affects how the gums around it respond to treatment of peri-implant mucositis, an early and reversible inflammation of the soft tissue around a dental implant. The study included systemically healthy, non-smoking adults with one-piece implants (made as a single unit) or two-piece bone-level implants (with a separate connecting part above the implant). The main questions were whether inflammation-related proteins in the fluid around the implant (interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-10, matrix metalloproteinase-8, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1), clinical signs of inflammation, and selected bacteria changed differently after treatment around one-piece and two-piece implants. Researchers compared implants with healthy gums and implants with peri-implant mucositis for each implant design, and compared the treatment response of the two designs over 3 months. All participants had a gum and implant examination, including plaque, bleeding, and pocket depth measurements and an assessment of gum thickness around the implant, and gave small samples of fluid and plaque from around the implant using paper strips and paper points. Participants with peri-implant mucositis received professional cleaning of the implant with an ultrasonic device with plastic-capped tips, a single application of chlorhexidine gel, and personal oral hygiene instructions, and returned 1 and 3 months later for repeat examinations and sampling.

Short Versus Standard Dental Implants: Clinical and Biomarker Outcomes

This study compares two types of dental implants, short implants (6 millimeters or less in length) and standard implants (longer than 8 millimeters), to evaluate their effect on the health of the gum and bone tissue surrounding the implant. Approximately 40 patients receiving a total of 80 dental implants will be followed. Researchers will assess clinical signs of gum health around the implants, measure specific protein levels (biomarkers) in the fluid surrounding the implants associated with gum disease. The goal of this study is to determine whether implant length affects the risk of inflammation or infection around dental implants, which may help guide treatment decisions in the future.