Long‐term stability of peri‐implant tissues after bone or soft tissue augmentation. Effect of zirconia or titanium abutments on peri‐implant soft tissues. Summary and consensus statements. The 4th EAO Consensus Conference 2015

Abstract

Soft tissue augmentation procedures may be indicated for the increase of soft tissue thickness and keratinized tissue, the reduction of interproximal peri-implant bone loss, and the coverage of shallow peri-implant soft tissue recessions (S-T, LE), L-T is lacking. Guided bone regeneration approaches (GBR) showed efficacy when used for ridge reconstruction after the complete healing of the soft tissues (S-T & L-T), and the stability of the augmented bone may play a role in the maintenance of the soft tissue position and dimensions (LE). No significant differences were observed between titanium and zirconia abutments when evaluating probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing, marginal bone levels and mucosal recessions. Zirconia abutments were associated with more biological complications but demonstrated superiority in terms of achieving natural soft tissue colour (S-T).

Stock Versus CAD/CAM Customized Zirconia Implant Abutments – Clinical and Patient‐Based Outcomes in a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

“…Platform‐switched implant‐abutment connections maintain better marginal bone levels than matching ones, as is confirmed in several systematic reviews, meta‐analyses and clinical trials . Zirconia has aesthetic benefits over titanium in situations presenting with thin overlying mucosa, but biological superiority is generally not observed . Besides chemical composition, surface topography and surface‐free‐energy are relevant factors, with surface roughness being the predominant factor with respect to biofilm formation .…”

Evaluation of implant esthetics using eight objective indices—Comparative analysis of reliability and validity

“…Due to favorable implant success rates, scientific attention is increasingly shifting the focus toward implant esthetics (Annibali, Bignozzi, Monaca, & Cristalli, ; Hof et al, ; Kuchler, Chappuis, Gruber, Lang, & Salvi, ; Sicilia et al, ). In implant dentistry, the term “esthetics” relates to harmony and symmetry, therefore, an implant‐supported single‐tooth crown with its surrounding peri‐implant soft tissue should utmost imitate the appearance of a natural tooth (Belser, Buser, & Higginbottom, ).…”

Randomized controlled clinical study assessing two membranes for guided bone regeneration of peri‐implant bone defects: 3‐year results

“…More recent evidence, however, revealed a greater loss of horizontal thickness between implant placement with simultaneous GBR and 6 months thereafter when a resorbable membrane had been used (Naenni et al., ). Scientific data are controversial whether the amount of bone on the buccal side of dental implants influences the esthetic outcomes of implants therapy (Merheb et al., ; Sicilia et al., ). It has even been shown that untreated dehiscence defects result in noninferior outcomes at 1 year compared to GBR‐treated sites (Jung et al., ).…”