The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded $2.91 million to the Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH) to study why dental implants fail and how those failures can be prevented.
Dental implants made from titanium have been used safely and effectively for decades to replace missing teeth. As more patients receive implants and live longer with them, clinicians are seeing an increase in complications. One of the most serious is peri-implantitis, an inflammatory condition that damages the bone and tissue around an implant and can ultimately cause it to fail.
“This research addresses a problem that clinicians encounter every day,” said Tom Diekwisch, DMD, PhD, PhD, chair of EIOH’s Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences. He noted that while implants have transformed dental care, the reasons some fail remain unclear.
The research team, which includes Xianghong Luan, MD, is examining several potential contributors to implant failure. These include inflammation, plaque accumulation, changes in surrounding tissue, and microscopic particles released from titanium implants over time. Early results suggest these factors may disrupt normal bone balance and trigger harmful biological responses.
Researchers are also studying how the body’s own biological processes may influence implant outcomes and whether those processes can be modified to better protect bone and soft tissue.
Eli Eliav, DMD, PhD, MBA, director of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, said the work could lead to new strategies to improve the long-term success of dental implants. He added that better outcomes could reduce repeat procedures, lower healthcare costs, and be especially beneficial for older adults and patients with complex medical conditions.