title: The Concept of Platform Switching to Preserve Peri-implant Bone Level: Assessment of Methodologic Quality of Systematic Reviews.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the methodologic quality of systematic reviews on the effect of platform switching upon peri-implant marginal bone loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  An electronic literature search of several databases was conducted by two reviewers. Articles were considered for quality assessment if they met the following inclusion criterion: systematic reviews that aimed at investigating the effect of platform switching/mismatch on marginal bone levels around dental implants. Two independent examiners evaluated the review publications using two quality-ranking scales (assessment of multiple systematic reviews [AMSTAR] and Glenny checklist). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results, and Cohen's kappa coefficients were calculated to appraise interrater agreement of each checklist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, five systematic reviews (including three of them with meta-analysis) were evaluated. The mean AMSTAR score ± standard deviation was 8.4 ± 2.6 (range, 4 to 11), and the mean Glenny score was 10.8 ± 2.9 (range, 6 to 14), showing high statistical correlation (rs = 0.98, P = .005). Cohen interexaminer test yielded values of κ = 0.88 and κ = 0.86 for the AMSTAR and Glenny checklist, respectively. The AMSTAR items rated positive in 78%, whereas 18% met the criteria for "no" and 4% were "not applicable." Only one review article met all criteria. Items of the Glenny checklist rated positive in 73% and negative in 27%. All but one study with the lowest quality scores (finding no difference) demonstrated a clinical benefit of implant platform switching in preserving the peri-implant marginal bone loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the quality-ranking scales appraised, substantial methodologic variability was found in systematic assessment of benefits with the platform switching concept to preserve peri-implant bone level. High-quality systematic reviews, however, generally favored platform switching over platform matching.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monje
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pommer
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000473:pathology; D057189:Checklist; D059605:Dental Implant-Abutment Design / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D057873:Peri-Implantitis / Q000209:etiology*; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards