What's new from the IADR part 2: implantology research

The previous issue of Dental Update reviewed the recent developments in restorative dentistry reported at the IADR 2017.¹ It is the aim of this article to review the clinically-relevant papers presented on dental implants at the same meeting.

Over recent years, the use of dental implants has become common practice and peri-implant disease is more frequently evident. The available literature, together with the cumulative clinical experience, suggests that we will be seeing more and more cases of peri-implant disease. In this regard, the reported prevalence of peri-implant disease in the literature is that this affects almost 30–50% of implant patients.² This means that one out of two or three of our implant patients might present with peri-implant disease at some point after implant placement. This is an important aspect of informed consent for our patients. Another troubling issue with regards to peri-implantitis is the lack of appropriate, well-documented gold-standard treatment. There are many suggested treatment options described in case reports and case series in the literature; none of them seems to provide a predictable long-term resolution for the disease. Therefore, in order to prevent and treat peri-implant disease, there is a need to understand the nature of this disease and its risk factors.