Unintentional Root Fragment Retention in Proximity to Dental Implants: A Series of Six Human Case Reports

There has been renewed interest in intentionally placing dental implants in proximity to or in contact with tooth root fragments. In clinical practice, human teeth are usually extracted due to nonrestorable caries, vertical or horizontal root fractures, periodontal disease, or endodontic failure, which is commonly accompanied by inflammation and bacterial contamination. The aim of this case series is to present the adverse effects in humans of clinically undetected root-to-implant contact (CURIC), where implants were unintentionally placed in proximity to undetected retained root fragments. The adverse effects of small (3 to 5 mm) root fragments were detectible 6 to 48 months post implant placement. Three out of seven implants in six patients were removed due to severe coronal bone loss. This differs from retrograde peri-implantitis, where only the apical area of the implant is affected and the coronal portion remains integrated. The detrimental effect of root fragment-to-implant contact is described along with its clinical management. Based on the review of currently relevant data, mixed results have been documented regarding the success of dental implants in proximity to tooth-root fragments. Careful evaluation of long-term, postloading results in humans where hopeless teeth have been extracted due to infection and significant bone loss are required before intentional root fragment retention is considered a safe and reliable clinical option for implant placement.