Impaired healing following implant placement surgery: A case report of a modern‐day manifestation of scurvy

Dental implant placement to replace missing teeth is nowadays a routine surgical procedure that results in few complications. Poor or delayed wound healing after implant placement may occur sometimes, and underlying systemic issues, such as smoking, can be one of the causes. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential human nutrient because humans cannot make it. Lack of vitamin C (vitC) can lead to a serious condition called scurvy, which presents with different signs and symptoms, including bleeding gums and poor wound healing. In this report, we describe the case of an otherwise healthy adult male smoker who presented with gum disease (periodontitis), some missing teeth, swollen and bleeding gums, and pain when eating. Ten months after he quit smoking and received periodontal (gum) treatment, he underwent dental implant placement surgery, which resulted in delayed healing. A blood test revealed that the patient had severe vitC deficiency (hypovitaminosis C). Soon after taking vitC and changing his diet to include fresh fruits and vegetables, the gums healed well, and his vitC levels returned to normal. This report highlights for the first time, to our knowledge, the occurrence of delayed wound healing following dental implant placement due to severe vitC deficiency and the rapid improvement of the condition of the gums after proper supplementation with vitC.