MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION IN CREVICULAR FLUID FROM PERI-IMPLANT MUCOSA SURROUNDING SINGLE-CRYSTAL SAPPHIRE IMPLANTS

The 19 patients included in this study had all been successfully treat ed for total or partial edentulism with single crystal sapphire implan ts as retention for overdentures or fixed bridges. As there is a need for more reliable non-invasive parameters for detecting changes surrou nding endosseous implants, the aim of this study was to assess the con tent and the activity of neutrophils in crevicular fluid samples from 3 categories of sites: (1) crevices around implants from edentulous pa tients (2) crevices around implants in partially edentulous patients, and (3) crevices surrounding teeth. Fluid samples were taken with pape r strips from 9 partially edentulous and 10 edentulous patients and th e volume measured with a Periotron 6000(R). Elastase activity was meas ured as a marker of neutrophil activity and lactoferrin concentration as a marker of the number of neutrophils. Elastase activity per mu l a nd lactoferrin concentration was, despite similar clinical and radiogr aphic signs, significantly higher in samples from crevices surrounding teeth and implants in the partially edentulous patients compared to s amples from crevices around implants in the totally edentulous patient s. There were no differences between teeth and implants in partially e dentulous patients. The increased elastase activity and lactoferrin co ncentration indicates a higher neutrophil activity in patients with re maining teeth.