Poor Glycemic Control Does Not Contraindicate Implants

Poor Glycemic Control Does Not Contraindicate Implants

As diabetes can affect the long-term success of dental implant therapy, researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Dentistry studied the survival and stability of dental implants in patients with type 2 diabetes who had poor glycemic control. The prospective cohort study examined whether elevated hemoglobin A1c levels (a subject’s average levels of blood sugar over a 3-month period) are contraindicated to implant therapy. The findings, “The Effects of Elevated Hemoglobin A1c in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Dental Implants: Survival and Stability at One Year,” were published in the December Journal of the American Dental Association.

The cohort study included 117 edentulous patients, each of whom had two mandibular implants placed. After 4 months, implant-retained mandibular overdentures were loaded and the subjects were subsequently followed for a year—with both implant survival and stability evaluated in relation to hemoglobin A1c levels. Of the patients included in the study, 47 did not have diabetes; 44 had well-controlled type 2 diabetes; and 19 had poorly managed type 2 diabetes. Seven subjects were unavailable for follow-up. The implant survival rate for the participants who did not have diabetes was 93%; that fell slightly, to 92.6%, among those with well-controlled type 2 diabetes; and the implant survival rate was 95% for subjects with poorly managed type 2 diabetes.

While the results showed that elevated hemoglobin A1c levels in patients with type 2 diabetes did not contraindicate implant therapy, alterations in early bone healing and implant stability were noted among subjects with poor glycemic control. The authors assert that longer-term study of the association between poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and implant viability is needed.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

January 2015