A large‑scale 10‑year study conducted by researchers at the E.V. Borovsky Institute of Dentistry, Sechenov University, has helped identify a way to substantially improve the success rate of dental implantation. The key turned out to be systematic monitoring of blood vitamin D levels in patients preparing for the procedure and correction of any deficiency under the supervision of an endocrinologist. According to the specialists, this interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to achieve success in 97.4% of implantation cases.
The study involved 384 patients aged 18 to 50 years with partial edentulism (absence of one or more teeth) and confirmed vitamin D deficiency. The patients were divided into two equal groups. All were prescribed a course of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) at an individual therapeutic dose under the supervision of an endocrinologist. In the first group, dental implants were placed after normal blood vitamin D levels had been achieved (target range 30–60 ng/mL). In the second group, the procedure was performed while the patients were still receiving the therapeutic doses of vitamin D. The follow‑up period for participants ranged from one year to 10 years.
No statistically significant difference was found in implant stability or bone quality between patients who began correction of vitamin D deficiency before implantation and those who began it concurrently with the procedure. Peri‑implantitis was diagnosed during follow‑up examinations in 10 study participants. It was identified in patients with baseline marked vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/mL) or severe deficiency (less than 10 ng/mL). Moreover, in the subgroup of participants with severe deficiency, the frequency of peri‑implantitis reached 25%, indicating the particular vulnerability of this patient category.
“Our study shows that timely screening of vitamin D levels in patients planning implantation and subsequent correction of deficiency significantly improve treatment success. In cases of mild vitamin D insufficiency, implantation can be started without waiting for the correction course to be completed,” noted one of the authors, Ekaterina Diachkova, Professor at the Department of Surgical Dentistry at the E.V. Borovsky Institute of Dentistry.
However, according to the expert, in cases of severe deficiency the risk of implant failure is sufficiently high, so the procedure should be preceded by normalisation of vitamin D levels under the supervision of an endocrinologist.
