Survival of dental implants and occurrence of mucosal overgrowth in patients with head and neck cancer treated with/without radiotherapy and mucosal graft—two-year follow-up

• Published in: Clinical oral investigations 2024-01, Vol.28 (1), p.117, Article 117
• Main Authors: Mattila, Viivi, Wilkman, Tommy, Avellán, Nina-Li, Mesimäki, Karri, Furuholm, Jussi, Ruokonen, Hellevi, Nylund, Karita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bone grafts; Bone implants; Cancer therapies; Chemoradiotherapy; Chemotherapy; Clinical outcomes; Dental health; Dental Implantation, Endosseous - methods; Dental Implants; Dental prosthetics; Dental Restoration Failure; Dentistry; Follow-Up Studies; Head & neck cancer; Head and Neck Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Humans; Jaw; Lichen planus; Medicine; Mucosa; Patients; Radiation therapy; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Survival analysis
• ISSN: 1436-3771; 1432-6981; 1436-3771
• DOI: 10.1007/s00784-023-05479-0

Objectives The primary aim of the present study was to compare head and neck cancer treatment modality surgery and surgery with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy alone for dental implant (DI) survival. The second aim was to evaluate the prevalence of mucosal overgrowth around DI after treatment with or without mucosal grafts. Materials and methods An observational retrospective study consisted of 59 patients with malignant head and neck tumors that received DI between 2015 and 2019. Treatment modalities together with information on oral rehabilitation with DI, prevalence of mucosal overgrowth, and precursor lesions were gathered from the hospital records. Radiation doses were determined using a sum of three-dimensional dose distributions. Results Overall DI survival rate was 88%, in irritated jaw 89%, and in nonirradiated jaw 88% in this observational period ( p  = 0.415, mean follow-up was 2 years 10 months, range 9–82 months). Mucosal overgrowth was found in 42 of 196 implants (21%), of which 36 cases (86%) were associated in grafted areas ( p