Clinical decision-making in diagnosis and treatment of peri-implant diseases and conditions with 2017 Classification System

Abstract

As the practice of dental implantology keeps growing exponentially worldwide, implantologists face an ever-increasing challenge to manage peri-implant diseases and complications. At present, the approaches to diagnose, classify, and treat peri-implant diseases are not uniform, standardized, or systematic. To address these limitations, a classification for peri-implant diseases and conditions was presented in the Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions in 2017 organized by the American Academy of Periodontology and European Federation of Periodontology. Since its inception in 2017, this comprehensive classification system has become the new standard of clinical practice around the world. The article provides an overview and description of peri-implant diseases, their classification criteria, diagnostic techniques, and management approaches based on the 2017 Classification System. The flowcharts and decision trees presented can guide implantologists on how to deal with implant complications, in particular peri-implant diseases, including peri-implant mucositis, peri-implantitis, and implant soft- and hard-tissue deficiencies. Future long-term studies in this area are definitely needed to establish the effectiveness of various treatment approaches.