Practical procedure and clinical experience with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy for peri-implant diseases

Pen-implant diseases are still a challenge for any dentist working with implants to effectively treat the inflammation at the most microstructured implant surface. This demonstrates a complex relationship between biofilm management, infected hard and soft tissue, and the implant body, where conventional disinfection methods have not established a standard treatment protocol. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy can be used as an adjuvant noninvasive method for the treatment of mucositis, a bacterial infection that combines Candida presence and advanced peri-implantitis with bone loss. In this study, a high success rate was found for mucositis therapy. In difficult cases presenting with additional Candida infection or deep bone pockets, more than 60% of implants were symptom-free after therapy. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, in addition to the use of clinically safe treatment protocols, is an alternative method to the known pharmacologic and chemical decontamination methods for prophylaxis and treatment of pen-implant infections.