Researchers in South Korea have uncovered a unique connection between peri-implantitis (PI), a chronic inflammatory disease that affects dental implants, and activated fibroblasts. Furthermore, they have identified specific marker genes for PI, which may improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
While treatment protocols for PI often mirror those designed for managing periodontitis, they have proven to be less effective. Additionally, PI has a higher chance of recurrence than periodontitis, posing greater challenges for management.
Understanding the key differences in the pathophysiology of PI and periodontitis is essential for developing more specialised and effective treatments for PI.
A significant breakthrough in efforts to identify these critical differences was made by a team at Pusan National University which uncovered a link between PI and activated fibroblasts, cells in the connective tissue that have started to proliferate abnormally.
The study—published in the Journal of Dentistry—also identified three specific marker genes that were overexpressed in PI but not in periodontitis.
“This study provides essential insights into the role of activated fibroblasts as a distinctive factor in the pathogenesis of peri-implantitis versus periodontitis,” lead researcher Professor Yun Hak Kim said.
“Although peri-implantitis and periodontitis share clinical similarities, they exhibit distinct biological pathways. This research identifies three key biomarkers—ACTA2, FAP, and PDGFRβ—that are markedly overexpressed in peri-implantitis.
“These biomarkers have the potential to facilitate differential diagnosis and contribute to the development of peri-implantitis-specific therapeutic approaches.”
