Soft Tissue Response to Peek and Ti Healing Abutments

Introduction: Single-stage dental implant placement protocol involves the placement of healing abutments. In addition to osseointegration process, healing of peri-implant soft tissues is of a great importance too. Routinely, healing abutments made of titanium (Ti) are used. The aim is to find novel materials that would have the same mechanical properties, but less prone to plaque-adhesion and therefore showing lower local inflammatory soft tissue response. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic polymer that has favorable mechanical characteristics, high biocompatibility and low submissiveness to microorganism adhesion. White color makes it aesthetically acceptable in the treatment of patients with thin gingival phenotype. The Aim: To compare the formation of dental plaque on PEEK and Ti healing abutments and examine the local response of peri-implant tissues. Materials and Methods: The study included 11 patients with at least two missing teeth in the posterior regions. In each patient, 2 implants were installed, with PEEK abutment (experimental group) placed on one implant, while on the other implant, Ti abutment (control group) was placed. Before prosthetic rehabilitation of patients, both abutments were replaced with new ones and a thin layer of peri-implant soft tissue was sent to histological analysis. Results: The average age of patients was 49 years. Out of 11 patients, 27% were female and 73% male. 36% of respondents were smokers. Histological immunohistochemical analysis of samples of peri-implant soft tissues showed massive inflammatory infiltration in subepithelial tissue in the experimental group (10/11), while the inflammatory infiltrate in the control group was classified as moderate (7/11) or weak (4/11). Conclusion: Both types of healing abutments have been shown to be successful in single-stage implantation protocol. However, contrary to expectations and preliminary findings from the literature, PEEK healing abutments showed a more pronou