(PR50) The Effect of Implant Removal on the Pulpal and Periapical Health of Adjacent Teeth

Abstract: Aspects of dental health for natural teeth have been found to be both positively and negatively affected by dental implant therapy in an adjacent site. As more patients receive dental implant therapy, implant removal procedures also increase in overall numbers. We hypothesized that there would be a change in the pulpal and periapical condition of natural teeth adjacent to implant removals. We evaluated this hypothesis in a retrospective study utilizing 160 dental school patient charts with implant removal codes. There were 47 implant removals that met our criteria of having teeth adjacent to an implant removal. The pulpal and periapical status was evaluated and compared to control teeth on the contralateral side where no implant removal took place. A chi-square test was then used to statistically analyze the data at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05.

Results: Pulpal Status: None of the control teeth changed and only 4 out of 47 (12.7%) teeth adjacent to implant removals changed (p = 0.117). Periapical Status: None of the control teeth changed and only 2 of the 47 (4.2%) adjacent teeth changed (p = 0.494). We found no statistically significant difference in the pulpal or periapical conditions of teeth adjacent to an implant removal site in comparison to the control tooth on the contralateral side. However, noting some adjacent teeth did have a change, it is still important to assess the endodontic health of surrounding teeth prior to and following an implant removal.