Marginal bone loss around dental implants with conical and hexagonal implant-abutment interface: A literature review

Abstract

Based on a review of topical literature, the paper presents the results of studies concerning marginal bone loss around dental implants. The paper provides a detailed description of the process of bone loss around dental implants with conical implant-abutment connection generally used in implant prosthetic treatment. The reviewed articles reported experimental studies involving animals, as well as clinical research in humans. The results concerning bone loss around the hexagonal implant-abutment interface are cited only to provide the historical background, as implants with internal connections are generally available and currently used in oral implantology. The research on bone loss around implants conducted over the years has allowed for the assessment of the relationships between various factors that may affect the process of bone loss around implants and, consequently, influence the final result of the treatment and therapeutic success. The researchers focused on the effect of such factors as: differences in implant structure, types of surfaces, shapes and materials. In addition, bone loss is dependent on prosthetic treatment: implants may be placed at different locations in the alveolar process bone and at different levels in the hard bone; open or closed methods of healing are used; types of prosthetic restorations loaded after implantation vary, as also varies the time from implantation to loading (early or late loading), types of cementing material and cementing techniques. The paper discusses also the presence of a microgap and its colonization by microorganisms as factors that negatively affect the process of osseointegration.