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Background: The importance of an adequate amount of peri‐implant keratinized tissue and attached mucosa has recently been emphasized. This manuscript presents preliminary findings of a novel approach for increasing the width of keratinized mucosa (KM) around dental implants using a mesh free gingival graft (mesh‐FGG). Methods: Two healthy adults were treated as part of this study. After implant placement, a large edentulous alveolar ridge with shallow vestibule and minimal amount of KM was treated in both subjects (one in the posterior mandible and the other in the anterior mandible) with the combination of an apically positioned flap and a mesh‐FGG. Clinical, esthetic and patient‐reported outcomes were observed at approximately 4‐month time points. Results: All sites healed uneventfully after the treatments. In both cases, increased vestibule depth, soft‐tissue thickness, and width of peri‐implant KM were obtained. The patients did not report any accessory discomfort. Four months following the grafting procedure, good overall esthetic outcome was observed with minimal color disparity and graft demarcation. Conclusions: Width of KM around dental implants can be increased using a mesh‐FGG. Randomized controlled clinical studies comparing mesh‐FGG to conventional FGG and other commonly applied techniques are required to assess the long‐term efficacy of this novel technique in terms of soft‐tissue thickness, width of peri‐implant KM, and patient‐reported outcomes. Key points: Principal Findings: Meshed‐FGG allowed an expansion of the length of the harvested graft. This results in coverage of large recipient sites, increase in height of KM and good aesthetic integration of the graft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate long‐term outcomes and prognostic factors of non‐reconstructive surgical treatment of peri‐implantitis. Materials and Methods: One hundred forty‐nine patients (267 implants) were surgically treated for peri‐implantitis and followed for an average of 7.0 (SD: 3.6) years. The primary outcome was implant loss. Additional bone loss and surgical retreatment were secondary outcomes. Patient/implant characteristics, as well as clinical and radiographic parameters collected prior to initial surgery, were evaluated as potential predictors of implant loss. Flexible parametric survival models using restricted cubic spline functions were used; 5‐ and 10‐year predicted rates of implant loss were calculated according to different scenarios. Results: Fifty‐three implants (19.9%) in 35 patients (23.5%) were lost during the observation period. Implant loss occurred after a mean period of 4.4 (SD: 3.0) years and was predicted by implant surface characteristics (modified surface; HR 4.5), implant length (HR 0.8 by mm), suppuration at baseline (HR 2.7) and disease severity (baseline bone loss: HR 1.2 by mm). Estimates of 5‐ and 10‐year implant loss ranged from 1% (best prognostic scenario; initial bone loss <40% of implant length, turned implant surface and absence of suppuration on probing (SoP)) to 63% (worst prognostic scenario; initial bone loss ≥60% of implant length, modified implant surface and SoP) and from 3% to 89%, respectively. Surgical retreatment was performed at 65 implants (24.3%) in 36 patients (24.2%) after a mean time period of 4.5 (3.1) years. In all, 59.5% of implants showed additional bone loss, were surgically retreated or lost. Conclusions: Recurrence of disease is common following surgical treatment of peri‐implantitis. The strongest predictor for implant loss was implant surface characteristics. Implant length as well as suppuration and disease severity at baseline were also relevant factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous surgical techniques for root coverage have been suggested with different degrees of success, as assessed by the proportion of complete root coverage. Mandibular incisors, teeth with a high frequency of gingival recession defects (GRDs), were associated with the least favorable outcomes due to unfavorable anatomical conditions. In the present series of three cases, a modified version of the free gingival graft technique for the purpose of root coverage at mandibular incisors is illustrated. The purpose of the modification of the original technique was to achieve improved blood supply from the recipient site to the graft, with the ultimate aim of enhancing predictability and outcomes of the procedure. In all included cases, complete or almost complete root coverage was achieved at challenging GRDs in the mandibular incisor area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implant therapy has become a widely recognized treatment alternative for replacing missing teeth. Several long term follow-up studies have shown that the survival rate is high. However, complications may appear and risk indcators associated with early and late failures have been identified. The purpose of the present retrospective clinical study was to describe some clinical features of patients with clinical signs of peri-implantitis and to identify risk indicators of peri-implantitis in a population at a specialist clinic of Periodontology. In total,the material consisted of 377 implants in 111 patients with the diagnosis peri-implantitis. The mean age at the examination was found to be 56.3 years (range 22-83) for females and 64.1 years (range 27-85) for males. The mean number of remaining teeth was found to be 10.5 (S.D. 8.89) and the mean number of implants was 5.85 (S.D. 3.42). For a majority of the subjects, more than 50% of the remaining teeth had a marginal bone loss of more than 1/3 of the root length. Forty-sex percent of the patients visited regularly dental hygienists for supportive treatment. The percentage of implants with peri-implantitis was significantly increased for smokers compared to non-smokers (p = 0.04). In the group of non-smokers, 64% of the implants had the diagnosis peri-implantitis, while the corresponding relative frequency for smokers was 78%. A majority of the individuals had a Plaque index and Bleeding on probing index >50%. The median of the follow-up time after implant placement was 7.4 years and the observation period was not significantly correlated to the degree of bone loss around the implants. Among the subjects with a mean bone loss >6 mm at implants with peri-implantitis, more than 70% had a mean marginal bone loss > 1/3 of the root length of the remaining teeth. A positive and significant correlation was found between the degree of marginal bone loss in remaining teeth and the degree of bone loss around implants with peri-implantitis. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that smoking as well as previous history of periodontitis are associated with peri-implantitis and may represent risk factors for this disease.