Introduction: Dental implants are widely employed as dependable replacements for lost teeth. However, it is crucial to establish, solely through prospective cohort studies, whether a history of periodontitis indeed constitutes a significant risk factor for implant failure.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in October 2022 in several electronic databases with subsequent manual updates. Only original prospective cohort studies evaluating the implant (loss) rate ≥1 year after implant loading were included. Logarithmic risk ratio and weighted mean differences were calculated. Study results were summarized using random effects meta-analyses evaluated by trial sequential analyses. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale evaluated study bias and the GRADE approach assessed the certainty/quality of the evidence.
Results: A total of 14 publications reporting on 12 prospective cohort studies were included. Low evidence certainty/quality evidence due to the absence of randomized clinical trials revealed significantly greater odds of failure in patients with a history of periodontitis at follow-ups both after ≤5 years (OR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.12-2.44; p = 0.012) and >5 years (OR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.13-4.95; p = 0.023). The incidence of peri-implantitis (OR = 5.93; 95% CI: 2.75-12.8; p < 0.001) and the weighted mean (WM) of marginal bone loss (WM difference = 0.75 mm; 95% CI: 0.18-1 0.3; p < 0.05) were statistically significantly greater in the periodontally compromised group, whereas there was no significant difference between the two groups for peri-implant probing depth.
Conclusion: A history of periodontitis can be considered a significant risk factor for incident implant failure, peri-implantitis, and greater marginal bone loss.
Keywords: dental implants; epidemiologic studies; longitudinal studies; periodontal diseases; risk ratios.
© 2024 The Authors. Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.