Page 121 - Peri-implant health: the effect of implant design and surgical procedure on bone and soft tissue stability

IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IMPLANT-SUPPORTED MANDIBULAR OVERDENTURES AND THE EFFECT OF IMPLANT TYPE AND SURGICAL PROCEDURE ON BONE AND SOFT TISSUE STABILITY
Figure 1: Placement of an implant with a moderately rough surface (A) and a hybrid implant with a minimally rough coronal neck (B)
Before surgery, all patients received new removable dentures in the mandible and maxilla to achieve a correct occlusion, appropriate teeth position, and appropriate smile line. The removable dentures were adapted after surgery to connect with the implants by one experienced prosthodontist. The surgical and prosthetic procedures have been described previously by Vervaeke and co-workers and Glibert and co-workers.29,46
The clinical trial has been conducted in full accordance with the Helsinki Decleration (1975) as revised in 2000. All patients were thoroughly informed and signed written informed consent. The study protocol was approved by the ethical committee of the Ghent University Hospital.
Clinical and Radiographic Examination
Follow-up visits were planned at 1 week, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after surgery. After soft tissue healing was fully established, three months after surgery, peri- implant health was monitored and probing pocket depths, bleeding on probing and plaque scores were assessed on four implants sites: Midmesial, middistal, midbuccal, and midlingual. The bleeding- and plaque scores were measured on a dichotomous scale (0 = absence of bleeding on probing/absence of plaque; 1 = bleeding on probing/plaque). From the site level scores both for bleeding and plaque mean scores on implant level were calculated.
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