G. Rutger Persson

One‐year bacterial colonization patterns of Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria at implants and adjacent teeth

AIMS (i) To assess the pattern of early bacterial colonization on titanium oral implants after installation, at 12 weeks and at 12 months, (ii) to compare the microbiota at submucosal implant sites and adjacent subgingival tooth sites and (iii) to assess whether or not early colonization was predictive of 12-month colonization patterns. MATERIAL AND METHODS Submucosal/subgingival plaque samples from 17 titanium oral implants and adjacent teeth were analyzed by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization 30 min, 12 weeks and 12 months after implant installation. RESULTS At 12 months, none of the inserted implants had been lost or presented with signs of peri-implantitis. The distribution of sites at implants and teeth with bleeding on probing varied between 2% and 11%. Probing pocket depths < or =3 mm were found at 75% of implant sites. At 12 months, the sum of the bacterial counts of 40 species was statistically significantly higher at tooth compared with implant sites (mean difference: 34.4 x 10(5), 95% confidence interval -0.4 to 69.4, P<0.05). At 12 months, higher individual bacterial counts at tooth sites were found for 7/40 species compared with implant sites. Detection or lack of detection of Staphylococcus aureus at implant sites at 12 weeks resulted in the highest positive (e.g. 80%) and negative (e.g. 90%) predictive values, respectively. Between 12 weeks and 12 months, the prevalence of Tannerella forsythia increased statistically significantly at implant sites (P<0.05). Lack of detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis at 12 weeks yielded a negative predictive value of 93.1% of this microorganism being undetectable at implant sites at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS Within the limits of this study, the findings showed (i) a few differences in the prevalence of bacterial species between implant and adjacent tooth sites at 12 months and (ii) high positive and negative predictive values for selected bacterial species.

Periodontitis as a potential risk factor for peri‐implantitis

OBJECTIVES To review the literature regarding the possible association between a previous history of periodontitis and peri-implantitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A search of MEDLINE as well as a manual search of articles were conducted. Publications and articles accepted for publication up to January 2008 were included. RESULTS Out of 951 papers retrieved, a total of three papers were selected for the review. Thus, the available evidence for an association between periodontitis and peri-implantitis is scarce. CONCLUSIONS Based on three studies with a limited number of patients and considerable variations in study design, different definitions of periodontitis, and confounding variables like smoking that not been accounted for, this systematic review indicates that subjects with a history of periodontitis may be at greater risk for peri-implant infections. It should, however, be stressed that the data to support this conclusion are not very robust.

Treatment of peri‐implantitis using an Er:YAG laser or an air‐abrasive device: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND Non-surgical peri-implantitis therapies appear to be ineffective. Limited data suggest that ER:YAG laser therapy improves clinical conditions. The present study aimed at comparing the treatment effects between air-abrasive (AM) and Er:YAG laser (LM) mono-therapy in cases with severe peri-implantitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one subjects in each group were randomly assigned to one time intervention by an air-abrasive device or an Er:YAG laser. Clinical data were collected before treatment and at 6 months. Data analysis was performed using repeat univariate analysis of variance controlling for subject factors. RESULTS No baseline subject characteristic differences were found. Bleeding on probing and suppuration decreased in both the groups (p<0.001). The mean probing depth (PPD) reductions in the AM and LM groups were 0.9 mm (SD 0.8) and 0.8 mm (SD ± 0.5), with mean bone-level changes (loss) of -0.1 mm (SD ± 0.8) and -0.3 mm (SD ± 0.9), respectively (NS). A positive treatment outcome, PPD reduction ≥0.5 mm and gain or no loss of bone were found in 47% and 44% in the AM and LM groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The clinical treatment results were limited and similar between the two methods compared with those in cases with severe peri-implantitis.

Mechanical non-surgical treatment of peri-implantitis: a single-blinded randomized longitudinal clinical study. II. Microbiological results.

BACKGROUND Peri-implantitis is common in patients with dental implants. We performed a single-blinded longitudinal randomized study to assess the effects of mechanical debridement on the peri-implant microbiota in peri-implantitis lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS An expanded checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization assay encompassing 79 different microorganisms was used to study bacterial counts before and during 6 months following mechanical treatment of peri-implantitis in 17 cases treated with curettes and 14 cases treated with an ultrasonic device. Statistics included non-parametric tests and GLM multivariate analysis with p<0001 indicating significance and 80% power. RESULTS At selected implant test sites, the most prevalent bacteria were: Fusobacterium nucleatum sp., Staphylococci sp., Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Helicobacter pylori, and Tannerella forsythia. 30 min. after treatment with curettes, A. actinomycetemcomitans (serotype a), Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus anginosus, and Veillonella parvula were found at lower counts (p<0.001). No such differences were found for implants treated with the ultrasonic device. Inconsistent changes occurred following the first week. No microbiological differences between baseline and 6-month samples were found for any species or between treatment study methods in peri-implantitis. CONCLUSIONS Both methods failed to eliminate or reduce bacterial counts in peri-implantitis. No group differences were found in the ability to reduce the microbiota in peri-implantitis.

Cluster of Bacteria Associated with Peri-Implantitis.

BACKGROUND Information on the microbiota in peri-implantitis is limited. We hypothesized that neither gender nor a history of periodontitis/smoking or the microbiota at implants differ by implant status. MATERIALS AND METHODS Baseline microbiological samples collected at one implant in each of 166 participants with peri-implantitis and from 47 individuals with a healthy implant were collected and analyzed by DNA-DNA checkerboard hybridization (78 species). Clinical and radiographic data defined implant status. RESULTS Nineteen bacterial species were found at higher counts from implants with peri-implantitis including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter gracilis, Campylobacter rectus, Campylobacter showae, Helicobacter pylori, Haemophilus influenzae, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus anaerobius, Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus mitis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Treponema socranskii (p < .001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified T. forsythia, P. gingivalis, T. socranskii, Staph. aureus, Staph. anaerobius, Strep. intermedius, and Strep. mitis in peri-implantitis comprising 30% of the total microbiota. When adjusted for gender (not significant [NS]), smoking status (NS), older age (p = .003), periodontitis history (p < .01), and T. forsythia (likelihood ratio 3.6, 95% confidence interval 1.4, 9.1, p = .007) were associated with peri-implantitis. CONCLUSION A cluster of bacteria including T. forsythia and Staph. aureus are associated with peri-implantitis.

Microbiologic Results After Non-Surgical Erbium-Doped:Yttrium, Aluminum, and Garnet Laser or Air-Abrasive Treatment of Peri-Implantitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to assess clinical and microbiologic effects of the non-surgical treatment of peri-implantitis lesions using either an erbium-doped:yttrium, aluminum, and garnet (Er:YAG) laser or an air-abrasive subgingival polishing method. METHODS In a 6-month clinical trial, 42 patients with peri-implantitis were treated at one time with an Er:YAG laser or an air-abrasive device. Routine clinical methods were used to monitor clinical conditions. Baseline and 6-month intraoral radiographs were assessed with a software program. The checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization method was used to assess 74 bacterial species from the site with the deepest probing depth (PD) at the implant. Non-parametric tests were applied to microbiology data. RESULTS PD reductions (mean ± SD) were 0.9 ± 0.8 mm and 0.8 ± 0.5 mm in the laser and air-abrasive groups, respectively (not significant). No baseline differences in bacterial counts between groups were found. In the air-abrasive group, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus anaerobius were found at lower counts at 1 month after therapy (P <0.001) and with lower counts in the laser group for Fusobacterium nucleatum naviforme (P = 0.002), and Fusobacterium nucleatum nucleatum (P = 0.002). Both treatments failed to reduce bacterial counts at 6 months. Porphyromonas gingivalis counts were higher in cases with progressive peri-implantitis (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS At 1 month, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and S. anaerobius were reduced in the air-abrasive group, and Fusobacterium spp. were reduced in the laser group. Six-month data demonstrated that both methods failed to reduce bacterial counts. Clinical improvements were limited.

The impact of the stone age diet on gingival conditions in the absence of oral hygiene.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess the oral microbiota and clinical data in subjects without access to traditional oral hygiene methods and who ate a diet available in the Stone Age. METHODS Ten subjects living in an environment replicating the Stone Age for 4 weeks were enrolled in this study. Bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival and plaque indices, and probing depth (PD) were assessed at baseline and at 4 weeks. Microbiologic samples were collected at the mesio-buccal subgingival aspects of all teeth and from the dorsum of the tongue and were processed by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization methods. RESULTS No subject had periodontitis. Mean BOP decreased from 34.8% to 12.6% (P <0.001). Mean gingival index scores changed from 0.38 to 0.43 (not statistically significant) and mean plaque scores increased from 0.68 to 1.47 (P <0.001). PD at sites of subgingival sampling decreased (mean difference: 0.2 mm; P <0.001). At week 4, the total bacterial count was higher (P <0.001) for 24 of 74 species, including Bacteroides ureolyticus, Eikenella corrodens, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Capnocytophaga ochracea, Escherichia coli, Fusobacterium nucleatum naviforme, Haemophilus influenzae, Helicobacter pylori, Porphyromonas endodontalis, Staphylococcus aureus (two strains), Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus anginosis, and Streptococcus mitis. Bacterial counts from tongue samples were higher at baseline (P <0.001) for 20 species, including Tannerella forsythia (previously T. forsythensis), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (previously Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans; serotype a), and Streptococcus spp. CONCLUSIONS The experimental gingivitis protocol is not applicable if the diet (e.g., Stone Age) does not include refined sugars. Although plaque levels increased, BOP and PD decreased. Subgingival bacterial counts increased for several species not linked to periodontitis, whereas tongue bacterial samples decreased during the study period.

The peri-implant sulcus compared with internal implant and suprastructure components: a microbiological analysis.

PURPOSE A recent in vivo study has shown considerable contamination of internal implant and suprastructure components with great biodiversity, indicating bacterial leakage along the implant-abutment interface, abutment-prosthesis interface, and restorative margins. The goal of the present study was to compare microbiologically the peri-implant sulcus to these internal components on implants with no clinical signs of peri-implantitis and in function for many years. Checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization was used to identify and quantify 40 species. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-eight turned titanium Brånemark implants in eight systemically healthy patients (seven women, one man) under regular supportive care were examined. All implants had been placed in the maxilla and loaded with a screw-retained full-arch bridge for an average of 9.6 years. Gingival fluid samples were collected from the deepest sulcus per implant for microbiological analysis. As all fixed restorations were removed, the cotton pellet enclosed in the intra-coronal compartment and the abutment screw were retrieved and microbiologically evaluated. RESULTS The pellet enclosed in the suprastructure was very similar to the peri-implant sulcus in terms of bacterial detection frequencies and levels for practically all the species included in the panel. Yet, there was virtually no microbial link between these compartments. When comparing the abutment screw to the peri-implant sulcus, the majority of the species were less frequently found, and in lower numbers at the former. However, a relevant link in counts for a lot of bacteria was described between these compartments. Even though all implants in the present study showed no clinical signs of peri-implantitis, the high prevalence of numerous species associated with pathology was striking. CONCLUSIONS Intra-coronal compartments of screw-retained fixed restorations were heavily contaminated. The restorative margin may have been the principal pathway for bacterial leakage. Contamination of abutment screws most likely occurred from the peri-implant sulcus via the implant-abutment interface and abutment-prosthesis interface.

Long‐term stability of surgical bone regenerative procedures of peri‐implantitis lesions in a prospective case–control study over 3 years

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the extent of bone fill over 3 years following the surgical treatment of peri-implantitis with bone grafting with or without a membrane. MATERIAL AND METHODS In a non-submerged wound-healing mode, 15 subjects with 27 implants were treated with a bone substitute (Algipore(®)) alone and 17 subjects with 29 implants were treated with the bone substitute and a resorbable membrane (Osseoquest(®)). Implants with radiographic bone loss ≥1.8 mm following the first year in function and with bleeding and/or pus on probing were included. Following surgery, subjects were given systemic antibiotics (10 days) and rinsed with chlorhexidine. After initial healing, the subjects were enrolled in a strict maintenance programme. RESULTS Statistical analysis failed to demonstrate changes in bone fill between 1 and 3 years both between and within procedure groups. The mean defect fill at 3 years was 1.3 ± (SD) 1.3 mm if treated with the bone substitute alone and 1.6 ± (SD) 1.2 mm if treated with an adjunct resorbable membrane, (p=0.40). The plaque index decreased from approximately 40-10%, remaining stable during the following 2 years. CONCLUSION Defect fill using a bone substitute with or without a membrane technique in the treatment of peri-implantitis can be maintained over 3 years.

Microbiota in the Oral Subgingival Biofilm Is Associated With Obesity in Adolescence

To test the hypothesis whether microbiota in oral biofilm is linked with obesity in adolescents we designed this cross‐sectional study. Obese adolescents (n = 29) with a mean age of 14.7 years and normal weight subjects (n = 58) matched by age and gender were examined with respect to visible plaque index (VPI%) and gingival inflammation (bleeding on probing (BOP%)). Stimulated saliva was collected. They answered a questionnaire concerning medical history, medication, oral hygiene habits, smoking habits, and sociodemographic background. Microbiological samples taken from the gingival crevice was analyzed by checkerboard DNA‐DNA hybridization technique. The sum of bacterial cells in subgingival biofilm was significantly associated with obesity (P < 0.001). The link between sum of bacterial cells and obesity was not confounded by any of the studied variables (chronic disease, medication, VPI%, BOP%, flow rate of whole saliva, or meal frequency). Totally 23 bacterial species were present in approximately threefold higher amounts, on average, in obese subjects compared with normal weight controls. Of the Proteobacteria phylum, Campylobacter rectus and Neisseria mucosa were present in sixfold higher amounts among obese subjects. The association between obesity and sum of bacterial cells in oral subgingival biofilm indicates a possible link between oral microbiota and obesity in adolescents.