Periodontitis History Shapes the Early Peri-Implant Microbiome Formation: A Metagenomic Analysis.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the early alterations in microbiome construction and succession around dental implants in both periodontally healthy individuals and patients with a history of periodontitis during the first month after implant-crown placement.

Materials and methods: Ninety-five subgingival plaque samples were collected from 10 periodontally compromised patients (PCP) and nine periodontally healthy patients (PHP) at four time points with a 1-week interval and analysed using dynamic metagenomic analysis. The study compared the formation and temporal change in the peri-implant microbiome in the PCP and PHP groups during the first month after the implant crown placement. A two-year follow-up examination was conducted to assess the clinical outcomes of early peri-implant dysbiosis.

Results: The results showed that PCP groups exhibited distinctively dysbiotic features in their peri-implant microbiome upon initial establishment, with an earlier and elevated emergence of periodontopathogens. This dysbiosis in the PCP group was associated with significantly higher modified sulcus bleeding index (mBI) scores compared with the PHP group. Neisseria was identified as a key driver of early peri-implant dysbiosis in patients with a periodontitis history.

Conclusions: This study established the first microbial link between periodontitis history and early peri-implant dysbiosis, highlighting the importance of early prevention strategies against peri-implant diseases in patients with a periodontitis history.