The replacement of missing teeth with restorations anchored on endosseous dental implants is a common treatment option, attractive for dentists and much sought-after by patients. The number of dental implants placed worldwide is increasing continuously, resulting in an impressively and aggressively growing implant market. The number of implant manufacturers is also increasing, providing us today with a huge range of different implant types/shapes, lengths, diameters and surfaces.
Unfortunately, the increasing number of implants is accompanied by an increasing incidence of peri-implant mucositis and even worse, peri-implantitis, leading to the disintegration of a formerly successfully osseo-integrated dental implant and eventually to implant loss.
Therefore, great endeavour has been made during recent years to identify and validate materials and techniques suitable for implant maintenance as well as potential factors associated with peri-implant complications and protocols for the treatment of peri-implant diseases.
