Correlation between clinical and histological evaluations of the peri-implant gingiva around the single-crystal sapphire endosseous implant.

The correlation between clinical periodontal parameters and histological structure of the gingiva around a single-crystal sapphire implant has been evaluated in two volunteer subjects. The implants had functioned after 6 years as the distal abutment of implant bridges in the Kennedy class II mandible. First, clinical evaluation was performed (gingival bleeding index, crevicular fluid volume, plaque index and probing depth) of the gingiva around the implant and natural teeth abutments and then a small piece of peri-implant gingiva was excised from the lingual site of the implant of each subject for histological evaluation. The clinical evaluation using the periodontal parameter indices corresponded with the histological evaluation of the peri-implant gingiva. The result suggests that it is possible for such parameters to be used in practice for judging the success of an implant.