The role of keratinized mucosa in peri-implant health.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of keratinized mucosa around dental implants, correlating with other clinical parameters related to the success of dental implants.

DESIGN

Cross-section.

SETTING

Institutional tertiary referral hospital.

PATIENTS: A total of 202 dental implants fixed in the cleft area of 109 patients with cleft lip and/or palate were evaluated. Interventions: The evaluated clinical parameters were probing depth and gingival and plaque indexes on the buccal surface (three sites).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All clinical parameters were correlated with the width of keratinized mucosa around the implants.

RESULTS

The largest probing depths were detected when the width of keratinized mucosa was 2 mm or more, with a statistically significant difference between the means of the probing depth and keratinized mucosa width.

CONCLUSION

Even though the present results suggest that peri-implant health can be observed in areas with keratinized mucosa width under 2 mm provided an adequate oral hygiene control is performed, longitudinal randomized studies are necessary to analyze the relationship between the width of keratinized mucosa and the health of peri-implant tissues.