title: Gingival recession around implants: a 1-year longitudinal prospective study.
abstract: A longitudinal study was performed, which measured the soft tissue around implants following surgery, to determine if a predictable pattern of soft tissue changes could be identified. This study evaluated 63 implants in 11 patients. Baseline measurements were recorded at stage 2 surgery in 2-stage implant systems, and at stage 1 surgery in the 1-stage system. Subsequent measurements were recorded at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year after baseline measurements. The majority of the recession occurred within the first 3 months, and 80% of all sites exhibited recession on the buccal. It is therefore recommended that one wait 3 months for the tissue to stabilize before either selecting a final abutment or making a final impression. As a general rule, one can anticipate approximately 1 mm of recession from the time of abutment connection surgery. A comparison of this study's results with data recorded in previously reported studies reveals clinically significant trends in the nature of soft tissue healing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Implant Dentistry, New York University College of Dentistry, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Tarnow
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008334:Mandible; D008437:Maxilla; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants