Implant treatment in immunosuppressed renal transplant patients: A prospective case‐controlled study

• Published in: Clinical oral implants research 2019-06, Vol.30 (6), p.524-530
• Main Authors: Hernández, Gonzalo, Paredes, Víctor, López‐Pintor, Rosa María, de Andrés, Amado, de Vicente, Juan Carlos, Sanz, Mariano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Control methods; Dental implants; Dental materials; Dental prosthetics; Dental restorative materials; Dentistry; Health risk assessment; Immunosuppression; Kidney transplantation; mucosal disturbances; Mucositis; Pain; Patients; Periodontics; peri‐implant disease; peri‐implant mucositis; peri‐implantitis; Pharmacology; renal transplant; Surgical implants; Transplantation; Transplants & implants; Wound healing
• ISSN: 0905-7161; 1600-0501
• DOI: 10.1111/clr.13437

Objectives The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate long‐term outcomes of implant therapy in a cohort of immunosuppressed renal transplant patients compared with a matched control group. Material and methods Pharmacologically immunosuppressed renal transplant patients received dental implant treatment between 2001 and 2011. Periodontal, clinical and radiographic parameters were prospectively measured with a mean follow‐up of 116.8 months (range from 84 to 192 months). A matched controlled non‐transplant sample receiving similar implant treatment in the same time was included as a control group. Results Implant survival rate was over 98% in both test and control groups (100% and 98.84%, respectively). Peri‐implant mucositis was diagnosed in 46.80% of the implants in the study group and in 48.80% in the control group. Peri‐implantitis occurred in 5.10% of the implants in the study group and in 8.10% of the controls. Wound healing and post‐operative pain were similar in both groups. Conclusions Despite the limitations of this study, pharmacological immunosuppression in renal transplant patients did not affect implant outcomes. Renal transplant patients should be carefully controlled periodically after implant treatment. Clinical implications The results from this investigation justify the use of dental implants for the dentalrehabilitation of immunosuppressed patients after renal transplantation provided they follow the necessarylong‐term monitoring and regular maintenance of their oral and systemic health.