Within the limitations of the present in vitro model, airflow devices using glycine powders seem to constitute an efficient therapeutic option for the debridement of implants in peri-implantitis defects. Still, some uncleaned areas remained. In wide defects, differences between instruments are more accentuated.

No abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether 6-mm dental implants in the posterior segments of either jaw perform equally well in terms of clinical and radiographic outcomes when compared with 10-mm implants after 5 y of loading. Patients with single-tooth gaps in the posterior area who were scheduled for implant therapy were randomly assigned to a group receiving either a 6- or 10-mm implant. After a healing period of 10 wk, implants were loaded with a screw-retained single crown and followed up at yearly intervals. Of 96 patients, 86 could be recalled after 5 y. The implant survival rates amounted to 91% (95% confidence interval: 0.836 to 0.998) for the 6-mm group and 100% for the 10-mm group ( P = 0.036). Median crown-to-implant (C/I) ratios were 1.75 (interquartile range [IQR], 1.50 to 1.90) for the 6-mm group and 1.04 (IQR, 0.95 to 1.15) for the 10-mm group, whereas the median marginal bone levels measured -0.29 mm (IQR, -0.92 to 0.23) for the 6-mm group and -0.15 mm (IQR: -0.93 - 0.41) for the 10-mm group after 5 y. The C/I ratio turned out to be statistically significant ( P < 0.001), whereas marginal bone levels showed no significant difference between the groups. The 6-mm implants exhibited significantly lower survival rates than the 10-mm implants over 5 y, whereas there was no difference between upper and lower jaws in terms of survival ( P = 0.58). Lost implants did not show any sign of marginal bone loss or peri-implant infection previous to loss of osseointegration. High C/I ratio and implant length had no significant effect on marginal bone level changes or technical and biological complications (German Clinical Trials Registry: DRKS00006290).

The morphologic and metric assessment of mucogingival soft tissue dimensions is of great multidisciplinary clinical and academic interest, in order to quantify and monitor gingival changes while in treatment, e.g., during periodontal, restorative, prosthetic, orthodontic, or implant therapy. Pink esthetics play an increasingly important role in the overall treatment success, and therefore have to be monitored throughout therapy. The purpose of this article was to identify and summarize methods, which aim at quantifying gingival dimensions in terms of morphology, thickness, and volume, with respect to their accuracy and practicability. The introduced measurement methods should further facilitate personalized treatment planning and monitoring. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCEMucogingival esthetics play an increasingly important role whenever treatment results are evaluated. Several qualitative and (semi)quantitative methods for measuring soft tissue dimensions are available. New methods like CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) technologies are emerging and allow practitioners to reliably monitor their patient's soft tissues throughout therapy. Future improvements may help to develop better treatment strategies in terms of optimized preservation and creation of gingival morphology, especially in the esthetic zone.

A complete surface cleaning could not be achieved regardless of the instrumentation method applied. The air powder abrasive device showed a superior cleaning potential for all defect angulations with better results at wide defects.