Angled implant brush for hygienic maintenance of full-arch fixed-implant rehabilitations: a pilot study

Abstract

Purpose This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the cleaning efficacy of an angled implant brush for home oral hygiene of full-arch fixed-implant prostheses. Methods Forty-one patients treated with a full-arch implant rehabilitation in the maxilla or mandible (164 implants) for at least 4 months were enrolled. The screw-retained fixed prostheses were removed and baseline (T0) parameters were recorded, including plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). All patients completed a 5-item questionnaire on hygiene maintenance and received an implant brush for home hygiene. After 1 month (T1) PI, PD, and BOP were recorded again and patients completed a 7-item questionnaire to evaluate their satisfaction with the implant brush. One-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the significance of changes in PI, PD, and BOP. A P value <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results A statistically significant reduction of BOP (0.62±0.6 at T0 vs. 0.5±0.5 at T1; P =0.032) was found, while no statistically significant changes in PD (1.74±0.5 mm at T0 vs. 1.77±0.5 mm at T1; P =0.050) or PI (1.9±0.7 at T0 vs. 1.7±0.7 at T1; P =0.280) occurred. According to the 7-item questionnaire, patients reported no difficulty in using the angled brush (63.4%) and deemed it highly (46.3%) or very highly (4.8%) effective in improving their home oral hygiene. Conclusions Within the limits of the present pilot study, the patients experienced a reduction of BOP 1 month after being instructed to use the angled implant brush. The angled implant brush appeared to be a well-accepted device for home-care hygiene of full-arch fixed-implant rehabilitations.

Plaque accumulation on the fitting surface of full‐arch implant‐supported fixed prostheses with contact or noncontact pontics: A split mouth randomized controlled trial

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Meanwhile, it has been reported that patients who have been totally edentulous or with a terminal dentition for a long time are often unable to cooperate with oral hygiene maintenance at home. [17][18][19][20][21] Therefore，improving the oral cleanliness and reducing plaque accumulation are feasible measures to prevent biological complications for patients with full-arch implant-supported fixed prostheses. However, patients with full-arch implant-supported fixed prostheses have reported difficulties in cleaning the prostheses and maintaining oral hygiene.…”

“…Studies have shown that poor oral hygiene and plaque accumulation are major risk indicators for peri‐implant disease, including peri‐implant mucositis, which is characterized by the presence of peri‐implant signs of inflammation, and peri‐implantitis, the clinical manifestations of which also include peri‐implant bone loss 1–16 . Meanwhile, it has been reported that patients who have been totally edentulous or with a terminal dentition for a long time are often unable to cooperate with oral hygiene maintenance at home 17–21 . Therefore，improving the oral cleanliness and reducing plaque accumulation are feasible measures to prevent biological complications for patients with full‐arch implant‐supported fixed prostheses.…”