[Oral rehabilitation of tumor patients with endosseous implants. Implant success with special reference to peri-implant tissue].

In a prospective study, the influence of the status of the peri-implant hard and soft tissues on the success of enosseous dental implants in tumor patients was assessed. Out of 59 tumor patients with 261 implants, treated between July 1988 and August 1996, a pool of 23 patients with 99 implants provided with dentures for at least 1 year was obtained. Eighteen of these patients suffered from a squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Seventeen patients underwent preoperative radiation (40 Gy). A total of 68 out of 99 implants were inserted into autologous bone transplanted to reconstruct the mandible. In order to assess the peri-implant hard and soft tissues, the Hygiene Index, the Sulcus Bleeding Index, the Gingiva Index, the pocket-probing depth. the peri-implant bone resorption, and the periotest were used. The results in the tumor patients were compared with the results in a pool of nontumor patients. Tumor patients had significantly worse periimplant parameters than nontumor patients. The peri-implant pocket-probing depth proved to have significant influence on the success rate. The overall success rate was 77.8%.