Assessment of hard and soft tissue changes around Implants: A clinico-radiographic in vivo study

Introduction: Microbial plaque is the main etiologic factor which causes disease in soft tissue around dental implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone level around implants using conventional radiography. They were evaluated for radiographic changes in the peri-implant crestal bone at intervals of 1, 3 and 6 months. The radiographic findings were correlated with clinical parameters of mobility, probing depth, bleeding, etc. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hard and soft tissue changes around two-stage implant both radiographically and clinically to assess the success of implants. Materials and Methods: Seven patients with 10 dental implants were examined clinically for 6 months after prosthodontic treatment. Plaque index and health indices of soft tissue including pocket depth, mobility, bleeding index, calculus and gingival index were measured. Marginal crestal bone loss and peri-implant radiolucency were checked radiographically. The criteria both subjective and objective were used to evaluate the success of the implant process. The necessary statistical analysis was performed for radiographic and clinical evaluation methods. Results: The results of this study showed that the values of all clinical criteria under study had no significant changes from baseline to 6 months. The vertical crestal bone loss on the mesial and distal side was within the normal range of bone loss given by Branemark. There was no mobility and no peri-implant radiolucency around any of the implants. Conclusion: Our study clearly demonstrated that in a group of patients with no periodontal disease the survival rate of two-stage, countersunk, submerged implants in the edentulous sites is 100% during the follow-up period of 6 months.