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This retrospective study focused on the frequency of tooth loss due to periodontal abscess among 42 patients who were treated by a single clinician over a 5- to 29-year period. A total of 114 patients were selected from the active periodontal recall schedule of a single periodontist at The University of Iowa College of Dentistry. The criteria for inclusion in the study included having a history of moderate to advanced periodontitis, being on 3 to 6 month recall periodontal maintenance care, and completion of active periodontal therapy prior to October 1987. Other parameters evaluated were age; gender; number of teeth present and missing at the initial, reevaluation, and last periodontal recall visit; initial periodontal prognosis; furcation involvement; non-surgical and surgical periodontal therapy; and reasons for tooth loss. Patients were grouped according to the number of teeth lost following active periodontal treatment into well-maintained (0 to 3), downhill (4 to 9), and extreme downhill (10 to 23) groups. Forty-two of the 114 patients were identified as having one or more periodontal abscesses. A total of 109 teeth were affected by periodontal abscess of which 49 (45%) teeth were lost and 60 (55%) were successfully maintained over an average of 12.5 years (5 to 29 years). More furcated teeth were lost than nonfurcated teeth and teeth given a hopeless prognosis were lost more consistently than those given a questionable prognosis in all groups. The frequency of periodontal abscess and tooth loss per patient was greater in the downhill and extreme downhill response groups than the well-maintained group. This suggests that teeth with a history of periodontal abscess can be treated and maintained for several years.

The technique is practical and simple to perform. This approach, involving partial palatal deepithelialization and the applied tunnel surgical procedure, resulted in a successful clinical outcome with increased gingival tissue thickness, keratinized tissue, and root coverage.

It can be concluded that short implants can be predictably placed in the mouth with a high survival rate and that smoking has a negative influence on the survival rate of the short implants.

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