New study identifies successful method to reduce dental implant failure

The AAID estimates that the value of the American and European market for dental implants will rise to $4.2bn by 2022.

Dental implants are a successful form of treatment for patients yet, according to a study published in 2005, five to 10 per cent of all dental implants fail.

The reasons for this failure are several-fold: mechanical problems, poor connection to the bones in which they are implanted, infection or rejection. When failure occurs the dental implant must be removed.

The main reason for dental implant failure is peri-implantitis. This is the destructive inflammatory process affecting the soft and hard tissues surrounding dental implants. This occurs when pathogenic microbes in the mouth and oral cavity develop into biofilms, which protects them and encourages growth. Peri-implantitis is caused when the biofilms develop on dental implants.

A research team comprising scientists from the School of Biological Sciences, Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Engineering at the University of Plymouth, have joined forces to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a new nanocoating for dental implants to reduce the risk of peri-implantitis.