Effect of repeated local minocycline delivery on radiographic bone levels in the non-surgical treatment of peri-implantitis: a retrospective study

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effect of repeated local application of minocycline during non-surgical treatment of peri-implantitis on radiographic bone level improvement in cases followed for at least 6 months after treatment.Materials and Methods: Among patients diagnosed with peri-implantitis by a periodontist, a total of 28 patients (61 implants) who received repeated local applications of minocycline and had standardized periapical radiographs available for at least 6 months were included in this retrospective analysis.To evaluate changes in peri-implant bone defects, the distance between the implant shoulder and the most coronal point of the surrounding bone (DIB) was measured at the mesial and distal aspects of each implant.Radiographic distortion was corrected based on the actual implant length.The mean of the mesial and distal DIB values was calculated for each implant, and the change in this mean DIB (ΔDIB) between baseline and endpoint was calculated, and its association with various risk factors was analyzed.Results: The mean DIB improvement was 1.17 ± 6.71 mm, indicating radiographic improvement in bone level after treatment.Male patients showed greater ΔDIB than female patients.Anterior implants demonstrated greater ΔDIB than posterior implants, while cases with adjacent implants affected by peri-implantitis showed smaller ΔDIB compared with those without adjacent peri-implantitis involvement.Conclusion: In non-surgical treatment of peri-implantitis, repeated local application of minocycline was associated with a positive trend in radiographic bone level improvement after at least 6 months.This pattern of improvement differed according to sex, implant location, and the presence of peri-implantitis in adjacent implants.However, as this was a retrospective study without a control group, further prospective studies are needed to clarify the independent therapeutic effect of minocycline.(