EFFECTS OF MAINTENANCE IMPLANT THERAPY WITH AND WITHOUT PERIODIC REMOVAL AND DECONTAMINATION OF PROSTHETIC COMPONENTS ON INFLAMMATORY PERI-IMPLANT PARAMETERS.

This article focuses on a retrospective clinical study evaluating the effects of two professional maintenance therapy (MT) protocols—one with and one without periodic removal and decontamination of prosthetic components—on inflammatory peri-implant parameters over five years. The study involved 80 patients with 120 dental implants, divided into Group 1 (MT with removal and ultrasonic plus ultraviolet decontamination of prosthetic components) and Group 2 (MT without removal). Results showed that Group 1 had significantly lower marginal bone loss and bleeding on probing, despite similar plaque index and probing depths between groups, and exhibited lower levels of active metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8), a biomarker for peri-implant inflammation. The findings suggest that periodic removal and decontamination of implant-supported prostheses during maintenance may provide additional benefits in controlling peri-implant inflammation, although further randomized controlled trials are recommended to confirm these outcomes.