FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PERI-IMPLANT MICROBIOME: A CLINICAL STUDY ON PATIENTS RECEIVING DENTAL IMPLANTS

The most common types of odontogenic infections are periapical abscesses, pericoronitis, and periodontal abscesses. This was a descriptive cross‑sectional study. A total of 50 implants (Bone Level and Tissue Level) were evaluated in 50 patients who had received implants in posterior teeth regions. Patients were selected by convenience sampling from those attending private dental clinics in Ilam. After sample collection, the sterile paper cones were immediately transferred into tubes containing Thioglycolate Broth under sterile conditions. Samples were then transported to the microbiology laboratory at a temperature of 2–8 °C for culture processing. Data analysis was performed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that the number of aerobic bacteria in the adjacent sulcus area of the tissue level implant was significantly higher than that of the bone level implant. However, the number of anaerobic bacteria in the adjacent sulcus area did not show a significant difference in both types of implants. There was no significant difference between the number of bacteria in the adjacent sulcus area of the two implants studied Microbial analyses showed that in both types of implants (Bone Level and Tissue Level), the peri-implant environment (sulcus) hosted a dominant population of anaerobic bacteria. However, the total number of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria around Tissue Level implants was generally higher than that of Bone Level samples, with the difference being statistically significant for aerobic bacteria (P<0.05). In contrast, the adjacent tooth environment of both groups was more dominated by aerobic bacteria. These findings emphasize the importance of the implant surface in shaping the local microbial ecosystem and highlight the need for treatment approaches tailored to each surface.