Is dental implantation indicated in patients with oral mucosal diseases

Abstract

Summary Background/Aim: Dental implants are a reliable treatment choice for rehabilitation of healthy patients as well as subjects with several systemic conditions. Patients with oral mucosal diseases often exhibit oral mucosal fragility and dryness, erosions, blisters, ulcers or microstomia that complicate the use of removable dentures and emphasize the need for dental implants. The aim of the current study is to review the pertinent literature regarding the dental implantation prospects for patients with oral mucosal diseases. Material and Method: The English literature was searched through PubMed and Google Scholar electronic databases with key words: dental implants, oral mucosal diseases, oral lichen planus (OLP), epidermolysis bullosa (EB), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), cicatricial pemphigoid, bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris, scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, lupus erythematosus, leukoplakia, oral potentially malignant disorders, oral premalignant lesions, oral cancer and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Results: Literature review revealed dental implantation in patients with OLP (14 articles), EB (11 articles), pemphigus vulgaris (1 article), SS (14 articles), systemic sclerosis (11 articles), systemic lupus erythematosus (3 articles) and oral SCC development associated with leukoplakia (5 articles). No articles regarding dental implants in patients with pemphigoid or leukoplakia without SCC development were identified. Most articles were case-reports, while only a few retrospective, prospective or observational studies were identified. Conclusions: Dental implants represent an acceptable treatment option with a high success rate in patients with chronic mucocutaneous and autoimmune diseases with oral manifestations, such as OLP, SS, EB and systemic sclerosis. Patients with oral possibly malignant disorders should be closely monitored to rule out the development of periimplant malignancy. Further studies with long follow-up, clinical and radiographic dental data are required to predict with accuracy the outcome of dental implants in patients with oral mucosal diseases.

Dental implants in patients with oral autoimmune diseases

“…Patients with severe symptoms are rather unlikely to refer to the dentist for dental implant rehabilitation, as it is not their priority. In mild cases, where the drug treatment may be exclusively local, or for short periods and in low dose, the implant success rates are similar to these of healthy people 74,75 . On the contrary, patients with average disease severity should be treated on an individual basis 56 .…”

The Clinical Potential of Oral Microbiota as a Screening Tool for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas

“…The age of the patients ranged from 34 to 78 years. The patients with DMF >4, calculus index ≥2, and oral fungal or mucosal diseases were excluded (Kalogirou and Sklavounou-Andrikopoulou, 2017;Xun et al, 2018). The control group followed the same criteria.…”