Early soft tissue healing around one-stage dental implants: clinical and microbiologic parameters.
BACKGROUND
Despite the potential significance of early soft tissue healing to long-term outcomes, this aspect of one-stage dental implants has not been investigated. The purpose of this prospective study was to characterize clinical and microbiologic parameters of early soft tissue healing around dental implants placed following a one-stage protocol.


METHODS
Twenty-one patients (11 females and 10 males, aged 18 to 78 years; two smokers) needing a single implant were included. Clinical parameters included probing depth, buccal flap thickness, papilla height, and bleeding on probing. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained pre- and postoperatively and analyzed using molecular techniques.


RESULTS
The newly formed peri-implant sulcus probing depth remained fairly stable from 4 to 12 weeks (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant association between flap thickness or papillary height and number of implant bleeding sites at 12 weeks (P > 0.05). Detection of known periodontal pathogens was rare. Fusobacterium nucleatum was present in 17 patients prior to surgery, and 71% of them became carriers of this bacterium at the implant site by the second postoperative week. The number of F. nucleatum-positive subjects around the implant was significantly lower than the number of F. nucleatum-positive subjects around teeth (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Peri-implant soft tissue clinical maturity may be established as early as 4 weeks following implant placement by a one-stage surgical protocol; neither preexisting flap thickness nor papillary height seemed to influence newly forming peri-implant sulcus depth or bleeding on probing prevalence. For the most part, the newly created peri-implant crevices were colonized by specific bacteria within 2 weeks.
Section of Periodontology, College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Samuel J
SJ
DeAngelo
Purnima S
PS
Kumar
Frank M
FM
Beck
Dimitris N
DN
Tatakis
Binnaz
B
Leblebicioglu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods*; D019250:Dental Implants, Single-Tooth / Q000382:microbiology; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing