Page 72 - EJMO-9-1

Eurasian Journal of Medicine
and Oncology

REVIEW ARTICLE
Microbial challenges from tooth surface to

implant damage: A review

Sura Dakhil Jassim * , Fatima Malik Abood 2 , and Anfal Ihsan Jasim 2
1
1 Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq
2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq

Abstract

Dental implants have become a common dental practice that dentists encounter
daily in clinical settings. With this widespread use, peri-implant diseases have also
become increasingly prevalent. Similar to periodontitis in natural teeth, peri-implant
diseases are primarily caused by microorganisms, which are also referred to as peri-
implant pathogens. This causal relationship forms the foundation of our review. This
article provides an overview of peri-implant diseases, examines the microbial profile
around implant surfaces in both healthy and diseased states, and compares this
profile to that of natural teeth. A review of several studies on the microbial profile
of dental implants indicates that key periodontal pathogens, including species
from the red complex and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, are frequently
detected at high percentages in cases of peri-implantitis. However, peri-implantitis
is also associated with microorganisms not typically linked to periodontitis. Despite
the evident similarities between the microflora of dental implants and natural teeth,
*Corresponding author:
Sura Dakhil Jassim it remains premature to conclude that peri-implantitis and periodontitis share an
(dent.sura.dakhil@uobabylon.edu.iq) identical microbial profile.
Citation: Jassim SD, Abood FM,
Jasim AI. Microbial challenges from
tooth surface to implant damage: Keywords: Dental implants; Peri-implant diseases; Microbial challenge; Periodontitis
A review. Eurasian J Med Oncol.
2025;9(1):64-75.
doi: 10.36922/ejmo.6770
Received: November 30, 2024 1. Introduction
Revised: January 5, 2025 Although dental implants and natural teeth differ in structure and biological integration,
Accepted: February 5, 2025 they share many similarities. The progression of microorganisms on implants is generally
similar to that on natural teeth, including aspects such as sequencing, structure,
Published online: February 21, composition, and even the consequences. The aim of this review is to focus on the
2025
microbial aspects of implants in both health and disease, with a particular emphasis on
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). comparing these aspects to those of natural teeth.
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution 2. Historical background
License, permitting distribution,
th
and reproduction in any medium, Before the 20 century, if anyone had suggested the possibility of planting teeth, it would
provided the original work is have been considered a dream, a joke, or even a hallucination. Today, in the 21 century,
st
properly cited. we can proudly say that this dream has become a reality; no one laughs at this idea
Publisher’s Note: AccScience anymore, and what once seemed impossible has now been achieved. Implantology
Publishing remains neutral with has thus become an established branch of dentistry. While it may appear that this
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional advancement occurred overnight, the reality is that it was the result of years of effort,
affiliations. research, and experience, marked by numerous ups and downs, until it reached the

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2025) 64 doi: 10.36922/ejmo.6770