Dental implants in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes in a case series with 24 patients

PURPOSE: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) often suffer from premature tooth loss. This is a retrospective case series of patients with systemic sclerosis who were treated with dental implants. METHODS: SSc patients treated with at least one dental implant between 5 August 1998 and 31 December 2018 were included in this long-term retrospective study. The primary study variables were the plaque index (PLI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), peri-implant pocket depth (PPD) and interincisal distance (ID). The test for marginal homogeneity analysed whether the SBI and PLI values changed between examination and follow-up. A linear regression was performed for the PPD measurement. The rank correlation coefficient compared the SBI with the PLI and the PPD with the PLI. The survival rate data for the implants were analysed by the Kaplan–Meier procedure. P < .05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients [(age: mean 59.6 years (SD ± 13.08)] received a total of 72 implants. ID resulted in a mean value of 29.54 mm (SD ± 6.4 mm). The mean value of the PPD was between 2.4 mm and 2.8 mm. A comparison of the SBI with the PLI and the PPD with the PLI showed a significantly positive correlation between the SBI and the PLI and between the PPD and the PLI. The correlation between the PPD and the PLI (Spearman rho: 0.36, p < 0.001) was less pronounced than that between the SBI and the PLI (Spearman rho: 0.61, p < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a post-10-year implant survival rate of 87.6% (95%-KI: 75.5–94.0). CONCLUSION: Implant-supported oral rehabilitation can be carried out and maintained successfully in SSc patients.