Background: Retrograde peri-implantitis (RPI) is a pathological entity with an unclear etiology (e.g., overheating during implant insertion, residual infection of the tooth replaced by the implant or the endodontic lesion of neighboring teeth) and an extremely low prevalence and has been scarcely investigated. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Italian implantologists regarding RPI. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was sent via email to implantologists randomly selected, including a section about demographic information and questions related to RPI origin, radiographic representation, symptoms and treatment options. All questions were multiple answer and close-ended. Binomial logistic regression was performed to investigate the relationship between correct answers and the following independent variables: age, years of experience and number of dental implants placed per year. Results: In total, 475 implantologists completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 46.3%. Based on the results of the study, incorrect answers were associated with less experienced participants (<80 implants/year) for all questions evaluated, with the exception of treatment strategies. Furthermore, 26.7% of the survey takers did not recognize radiographic representation of RPI and 35.5% picked “implant removal” when asked about treatment modality. Conclusions: The majority of participants were able to recognize symptoms and indicated the probable causes of RPI; however, around 30% of them showed very limited knowledge of available management strategies.

Background: Recent articles have hypothesized a possible correlation between dental implants dissolution products and peri-implantitis. The null hypothesis tested in this case-control study was that there would be no differences in salivary concentrations of titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni) and arsenic (As) ions among patients with dental implants, healthy (Group A) or affected by peri-implantitis (Group B), compared to subjects without implants and/or metallic prosthetic restorations (Group C). Methods: Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to analyze saliva samples. One-way repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify statistically significant differences in the salivary level of Ti, V, Ni and As between the three groups. Results: A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study (42 males and 58 females), distributed in three groups: 50 patients in Group C, 26 patients in Group B and 24 patients Group B. In our study, concentrations of metallic ions were higher in Group A and B, compared to the control group, with the exception of vanadium. However, there were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) for metallic ions concentrations between Group A and Group B. Conclusions: Based on our results, there are no differences in titanium or other metals concentrations in saliva of patients with healthy or diseased implants.

RIASSUNTO --Lo scopo dello studio è di valutare le modificazioni indotte dall'applicazione di carico assiale durante l'esame RM della colonna lombosacrale. Sono stati sottoposti all'indagine 75 pazienti consecutivi con varie patologie degenerative del rachide lombosacrale, anche già trattati chirurgicamente. I risultati hanno dimostrato varie modificazioni dopo applicazione del carico, in particolare la osservazione più frequente è stata l'aumento della stenosi. In un caso l'esame ottenuto dopo applicazione di carico ha modificato radicalmente il trattamento ponendo indicazione all'intervento chirurgico. Dalle osservazioni preliminari riteniamo che le modificazioni indotte dal carico assiale siano interessanti da valutare con RM; sarà comunque indispensabile uno studio su una popolazione omogenea per diagnosi clinica per verificarne la effettiva utilità. Use of the Axial Loader in Functional Study of the SpinePreliminary Findings SUMMARY -We tested a new method of performing axial-Ioaded MR of the lumbar spine using an originalloading device. The patient is positioned supine on the device with a platform under the feet and a prop for the shoulders. The platform pushes under computer control, maintaining the push stable during the examination. The load imposed is 65% of the patient's weight. The examination is performed in a neutral position and after loading with axial and sagittal T2-weighted scanso The images are subsequently evaluated to identify load-induced changes. We investigated consecutively 75 unselected patìents with low back pain and sciatica due to various lumbar spine degenerative diseases. The most frequent finding after loading was increased spinal stenosis. In one patient the examination after loading led to a radical change in treatment indicating surgery. Our preliminary findings show that axialload-induced changes merit MR assessment. Further study on a clinically homogeneous population is required to confirm the utility ofaxialloading.

Background: The aims of this study are to retrospectively compare the clinical, radiographic and esthetic outcomes of platform switching (PS) and platform matching (PM) dental implants in the anterior maxilla after ≥ 10 years of functional loading. Methods: Marginal bone loss (MBL) levels were recorded; furthermore, peri-implant clinical parameters (PPD, BOP, PI) were collected and the Pink and White Esthetic scores (PES/WES) were used to evaluate the esthetic outcomes. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were performed to compare collected parameters among the two groups, with a p-value < 0.05. Results: A final sample of 58 patients was enrolled in this study (PM implants = 29; PS implants = 29). PS implants showed lower MBL levels (1.02 ± 0.81 mm vs. 1.67 ± 0.99 mm, p = 0.028) and PPD values (3.69 ± 1.1 vs. 5.16 ± 1.09 mm, p < 0.001) compared to PM implants. Mean PES values were higher in the PS group compared to the PM group (8.46 ± 0.69 vs. 7.89 ± 0.78, p < 0.005), while there were no differences for WES values (7.82 ± 1.09 vs. 7.71 ± 0.85, p > 0.05) and peri-implant diseases’ prevalence (p > 0.05). Conclusions: After 10 years, PS implants showed statistically significant lower MBL and PPD values and higher PES values compared to PM implants.