Is 100% success a realistic goal in implant dentistry? The X factor of peri-implantitis, bone loss and implant failures
Dental implants have become an integral part of rehabilitative dentistry. However, despite best practices, complications and failure occur in a significant percentage of cases. There is an X factor that has a deleterious effect on osseointegration: the cleanliness of the sterile-packaged dental implant.
Acknowledging this occult issue, the CleanImplant Foundation was created to perform unbiased quality assessment studies on implant systems available worldwide. An analytic process combining SEM imaging, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was developed by a group of experts to identify contaminants present on the surface of sterile-packaged implants obtained from clinicians, companies or blind purchase. The presence of foreign metals, carbonaceous compounds, packaging or cleaning agent residue present on ready-to-use dental implants is striking in far too many cases. These impurities can be largely avoided by the manufacturers provided they accept the impact of these foreign particles on osseointegration and accept their responsibility to ensure that their cleaning processes are unimpeachable.
Learning objectives:
1. Understand the distinction between what constitutes sterile and/or sterile and clean surfaces on an implant.
2. Understand the implications of manufacturing, sterilisation and packaging processes in successful osseointegration.
3. Recognize the composition of contaminants identified on implant surfaces post manufacturing, sterilisation, and packaging.
4. Learn about the analytic processes for identification of implant surface contaminants
5. Learn about the pathologic processes associated with organic carbonaceous foreign materials present on an implant surface.