Eastman Institute Awarded $2.9 Million to Study Dental Implant Failures
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH) $2.91 million to support new research aimed at understanding why dental implants sometimes fail and how those failures might be prevented.
Dental implants made of titanium have been used successfully for decades to replace missing teeth and are considered safe and effective for millions of patients. However, as more people receive implants and live longer with them, dentists are seeing a growing number of complications, including a condition called peri-implantitis, an inflammatory disease that can damage the bone and tissue surrounding an implant and eventually lead to implant failure.
“This research addresses a problem that clinicians encounter every day,” said Tom Diekwisch, DMD, PhD, PhD, chair of EIOH’s Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences. “Dental implants have transformed patient care, but we still do not fully understand why some implants fail. With this support from NIDCR, we’re exploring underlying causes and moving closer to solutions that help implants last longer and perform better.”
The research team, including Xianghong Luan, MD, is studying several possible factors that may contribute to implant failure, including inflammation, plaque buildup, changes in the tissue around implants, and tiny particles released from titanium implants over time. Early findings suggest that these factors may disrupt the normal balance of bone health around implants and trigger harmful biological responses.
The team is also exploring how the body’s own biological processes may play a role in implant failure, and whether those processes can be modified to protect bone and tissue around implants.
“The goal with all our foundational, clinical and translational research is to translate scientific discovery into real-world benefits for patients,” said Eli Eliav, DMD, PhD, MBA, director of Eastman Institute for Oral Health. “This project can lead to new approaches for improving long-term success of dental implants, reduce repeat procedures, lower healthcare costs and improve outcomes, which would be especially beneficial for older adults and patients with complex medical conditions.”
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