Prognosis of Single Implant-Supported Prosthesis in Patients With Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: A Five-Year Prospective Clinical Study

Background: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by hyposalivation. Currently, there is limited evidence for the prognosis of dental implant treatment in Sjögren's syndrome.

Aim/hypothesis: We hypothesized comparable clinical outcomes of implant-supported restorations in pSS-patients and control subjects, and improvement in oral health-related quality of life 5 years after restoration.

Material and methods: Patients with pSS and matched (age, gender, and tooth region) control group were recruited between June 2016 and March 2020. The clinical and radiological examination were performed, and patient-reported oral health impact profile (OHIP-49) questionnaire was used 2 months (baseline), 1, 3, and 5 years after prosthetic treatment.

Results: We included 23 patients with pSS and 24 matched control subjects (all women, mean age: 57.1 years). The overall DMFT (decayed-missed-filled-tooth) was significantly higher (p = 0.008), symptoms of dry mouth were more severe (p = 0.001), and unstimulated and chewing-stimulated saliva flow rates were significantly lower (p < 0.001) in pSS than in control group. All implants survived with no implant mobility. At implant sites, the plaque index and probing depths did not differ (p = 0.301 and 0.446, respectively), but the gingival index was significantly higher (p = 0.003) in pSS than control group. The mean marginal bone loss, prosthetic complications, and clinician-reported aesthetic outcomes were similar in both groups after 5 years. The OHIP scores were significantly higher in the pSS than control group (p < 0.001) but reduced significantly in both groups (p = 0.026).

Conclusion: Replacement of missing single teeth with dental implants was successful in patients with pSS 5 years after restoration.