Peri-implant health in patients attending an annual implant maintenance progam

Objectives: to describe the variation and interplay of findings for peri-implant health and associated factors among individuals attending a professional University-based recall system. Methods: 74 individuals scheduled for their annual implant maintenance appointment, asked to participate, gave written informed consent. Following an update of the patients\' medical history investigative procedures were performed to evaluate the peri-implant health. The study was approved by the local Ethical committee (136/2002V). In patients with multiple implantations only one implant was randomly chosen. 50 patients had been treated with fixed prostheses, the remaining patients had removable dentures. 40 individuals reported on cardiovascular disease as primary medical affection, 23 on other internal diseases. The intra-oral diagnostic procedures included determination of routine hygiene findings, implant stability assessment (Periotest method), and PCR diagnostics of the periodonto-pathogenic bacteria species Aggregatibacter actionmycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythensis, and Treponema denticola. Statistical analysis used explorative data analysis, X²-test, analysis of variance, and logistic regression analysis. Level of significance was set at p Keywords: patient history, implant maintenance, microbiology, oral hygiene