Surgical treatment of experimental peri-implantitis using mechanical and chemical decontamination procedures: A pre-clinical in vivo study.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of surgical treatment of experimental peri-implantitis at implants with different surface characteristics using mechanical and chemical decontamination methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following extraction of mandibular premolars, four implants with two different surface characteristics (A, moderately rough and B, smooth) were placed in each side of the mandible of six dogs. Experimental peri-implantitis was induced. Surgical treatment of the peri-implantitis sites was carried out using four implant surface decontamination protocols: (i) deposition of a citric acid gel, (ii) mechanical cleaning using a rotating titanium brush, (iii) a combination of the mechanical and chemical procedures, and (iv) saline (control). Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed. Block biopsies were obtained 6 months after therapy and prepared for histological analysis. RESULTS: Irrespective of the treatment group, treatment resulted in 0.63 +/- 0.92 and 0.65 +/- 0.67 mm radiographic bone gain around implants A and B, respectively. Histological analyses revealed that persisting soft tissue inflammation as assessed using an infiltrated connective tissue (ICT) score was significantly lower at implant type B than at implant type A for all treatment groups. The test decontamination procedures did not demonstrate better results regarding resolution of peri-implantitis lesions, as indicated by the ICT scores, than the control procedure. The control treatment resulted in significantly superior outcomes of resolution of peri-implantitis lesions than the citric acid regimen. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that decontamination procedures including citric acid gel or rotating titanium brush did not improve outcomes following surgical treatment of experimental peri-implantitis. Results were, however, influenced by the implant surface characteristics.