28 September 2012
According to a consensus statement by the European Association for Osseointegration, one out of five implant patients are likely to develop peri-implantitis. Dr. Schwarz stressed the need to assure quality in the field of implantology, as well as the need for improving the educational standards for dentists who wish to offer implant treatments. Besides the importance of implant placement quality, Dr. Schwarz also emphasized that the successful treatment of peri-implantitis plays an important role in this field.
Studies have shown that Er:YAG lasers provide a highly efficient and safe treatment option for peri-implantitis. Granulation tissue on the bone surface and implant surface can be cleaned effectively, leaving the highly fragile surrounding bone intact.
A recent article in the International Magazine of Laser Dentistry (vol.4, issue 2/2012) titled Lasers in Oral Implantology presented a variety of ways in which laser treatments can be used to enhance clinical success rates in implantology. Fotona’s Er:YAG dental lasers were shown to be highly effective for the removal of granulation tissue and disinfection of the surgical area after extraction, as well as for preparation of the implant bed to achieve longer stability. The beneficial uses of Er:YAG lasers for bone ablation, without the thermal side-effects of drills, and the use of the Nd:YAG lasers for deep disinfection and bio-modulation were also discussed in the article. In addition, uncovering the implant with Er:YAG during the second stage of implant placement is more comfortable and patient-friendly with laser treatments.
A link to the full article is available online.
There are as well numerous other articles, published in journals such as the Journal of Oral Implantology and the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, presenting the advantages of using Er:YAG lasers over chemical agents or mechanical means for the treatment of peri-implantitis. Laser light has been shown to provide better access to all parts of the implant surface when compared to manual curettes or ultrasonic tips. The favorable formation of new bone has also been observed on Er:YAG laser-treated implant surfaces, and laser-treated patients have reported greater bone-to-implant contact than curette-treated patients.
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