Most Implants Showed Peri-Implant Disease Despite Daily Cleaning, Study Finds

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Posted: June 15, 2026

Most Implants Showed Peri-Implant Disease Despite Daily Cleaning, Study Finds

Edited by Dentaltown staff

A University of Michigan survey of dental implant patients found a peri-implant disease prevalence of 70.4%, even though 88.2% of those patients reported cleaning their implants daily, according to a study published June 15 in Frontiers in Oral Health.

The cross-sectional study evaluated 34 adults with at least one restored implant at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, covering 71 implants in all. Twenty implants were classified as healthy, 43 as having peri-implant mucositis, and eight as having peri-implantitis. Participants completed a 13-item survey on their cleaning habits, confidence, and knowledge of implant infection risk.

At the implant level, plaque index showed the strongest association with disease (p < 0.001), and the implant’s retention method was also significant (p = 0.011). In their discussion, the authors identified cement-retained restorations as the strongest implant-level risk factor.

At the patient level, every patient with peri-implantitis had a history of periodontitis (p = 0.029), and how often patients cleaned their implants was the strongest predictor of peri-implant health (p = 0.035).

The survey also exposed gaps in guidance and technique. Nearly one-third of patients reported receiving no professional instruction on implant care. Interdental brushes were the least-used aid, at 8.8%, while string floss was the most common, at 82.4%. Patients’ self-rated knowledge showed no significant link to their disease status, and most reported moderate to high confidence in their home care regardless of diagnosis (p = 0.22).

The study was led by Ann M. Decker of the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and published in the journal’s Preventive Dentistry section. The authors described the work as a preliminary analysis.

They called for future research into whether targeted education emphasizing infection risk and proper cleaning technique can improve both patient understanding and clinical outcomes, with a focus on preventing peri-implant disease before it starts.

Sources:
Frontiers in Oral Health, “Patient knowledge, home care practices, and peri-implant disease: a preliminary survey analysis of awareness gaps and cleaning behaviors,” June 15, 2026 (DOI 10.3389/froh.2026.1826003): frontiersin.org/.../froh.2026.1826003

Most Implants Showed Peri-Implant Disease Despite Daily Cleaning, Study Finds

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