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. 2022 Sep;21(3):796-801.
doi: 10.1007/s12663-020-01460-6. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Dental Implant Survival after Postoperative Infection

Reza Tabrizi  1 , Roya Zarchini  1 , Birkan Taha Ozkan  2 , Shobeir Majdi  1
Affiliations

Dental Implant Survival after Postoperative Infection

Reza Tabrizi et al. J Maxillofac Oral Surg. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Early postoperative infection can lead to dental implant failure. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of failed and survived implants after acute postoperative infection and the related factors.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional cohort evaluated early infection after dental implant surgery. The study variables included the site of implant placement, age and gender of patients, bone augmentation, postoperative antibiotic therapy, smoking, and time of infection occurrence or diagnosis. Failed and survived implants were the outcome of the study. The patients were studied in 2 groups of survived implants (group 1) and failed implants (group 2).

Results: Thirty-four (3.46%) out of 980 patients developed a postoperative infection following implant placement, which included 25 males and 9 females. Ten implants (29.4%) survived (group 1), and 24 implants (70.6%) failed (group 2). There were significant differences between the 2 groups regarding the number of smoker patients, fresh socket or delayed implant placement, patients who received bone graft, and the meantime of diagnosis (P < 0.05). Regarding the covariates, the Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the risk of implant failure in patients who did not receive postoperative antibiotic therapy increased by 1.1 times (hazard ratio) when infection occurred four days after surgery. In patients who received postoperative antibiotics, the risk of failure increased when infection occurred after 6 days in smokers and after 9 days in non-smokers.

Conclusion: Considering the study results, it seems that smoking, early infection, fresh socket placement, and placement of implants along with bone substitutes may increase the failure rate after acute infection in dental implant placement.

Keywords: Antibiotic; Bone; Implant; Infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hazard function plot showing that the hazard ratio increased in smokers who did not receive postoperative antibiotics when infection occurred 4 days after surgery
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
In patients who received postoperative antibiotics, the risk of failure increased when infection occurred 6 days after surgery in smokers and 9 days after surgery in non-smokers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
In fresh socket implant placement, the hazard ratio for implant failing increased 0.4 times if infection occurred in the day 3 after implant placement and 0.6 times in the day 4 after implant placement
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
a Fistula was detected in tooth number 5 two weeks after surgery. b Radiographic view of the implanted site
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Surgical exploration the implanted site and irrigation with normal saline
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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