Implants V

Smoking as a risk factor

It will come as no shock that we work very hard with our patients to educate them about the risks of smoking as it relates to their oral health. In a future Blog, I will discuss smoking cessation options. For our discussion in this Blog, I will review some of the literature and how it relates to smoking and implants.

A study by Gorman, The Effect of Smoking on Implant Survival at Second-Stage Surgery found that smokers had twice the failure as non-smokers–5% for non-smokers and 10% for smokers. This led to the conclusion that smoking does not play a significant role in achieving the osseointegration of surface modified implants. A study by Peleg, Healing in Smokers Cersus Nonsmokers it was determined that smokers that abstain from smoking prior to surgery and for 10 days afterward can avoid complications that are frequestly observed in smokers.

Lastly, a study by DeLuca, The Effects of Smoking on Osseointegrated Dental Implants concluded that cigarette smoking should not be an absolute contraindication for implant therapy; rather, long term heavy smokers must be informed that that they are at a slightly higher risk of late implant failure and are susceptible to more marginal bone loss over the long term.