Purpose: To propose diffuse osteomyelitis as risk indicator for peri-implantitis following the loss of several dental implants in patients that present with highly sclerotic bone areas.
Materials and Methods: A total of six “nightmare cases”—three of which were treated at the Department of Periodontology of the University Hospitals of the Catholic University Leuven and three of which were referred there for a second opinion—were retrospectively analyzed using radiographs obtained via contact with referring clinicians in order to fully reconstruct the treatment pathway and dental history for each of these patients.
Results: All patients suffered from early implant failures and/or severe peri-implantitis with bone loss and crater formation up to the apical level, as well as the loss of all or nearly all implants. Re-examination of their preand postoperative CBCTs, in combination with several bone biopsies, confirmed the diagnosis of a diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis in the treated area. Osteomyelitis could be linked to a longstanding history of chronic and/or therapyresistant periodontal/endodontic pathology.
Conclusion: The current retrospective case series seems to suggest that diffuse osteomyelitis should be considered as a risk indicator for severe peri-implantitis.
Keywords: bone quality, bone density, dental implants, implant failure, peri-implantitis
