Purpose: Placement of dental implants adjacent to teeth with inflammation, such as periapical lesions, may have implications on the implant prognosis. The aim of this study was to systematically collect the available evidence regarding the influence of endodontic status of adjacent teeth on dental implant prognosis.
Materials and Methods: A systematic electronic search was conducted using the MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, EBSCO, CINHAL, COCHRANE, and SCOPUS databases in August 2019. The search was further supplemented with a hand-search citation mining process. All types of studies that addressed the endodontic condition of the adjacent tooth and evaluated dental implant success or survival were analyzed and evaluated according to the PRISMA and NOS guidelines.
Results: Overall, seven human studies were included in the final analysis. Those included a total of 1,914 implants placed adjacent to teeth with periapical lesions or root canal treatments. Four studies included implants placed adjacent to teeth with periapical lesions (1,634 implants), and three studies included implants placed adjacent to teeth with root canal treatments (280 implants). Lower success rates of dental implants placed adjacent to teeth with periapical lesions or to endodontically treated teeth were reported; however, the results were inconsistent.
Conclusion: There is some evidence to support an association between the endodontic condition of the adjacent tooth and the success of dental implants, but it is not enough to support a causative relationship. Nevertheless, clinicians should treat any active sources of infection and inflammation in adjacent teeth prior to insertion of dental implants.