The Microbiome of Peri-Implantitis: A Systematic Review of Next-Generation Sequencing Studies

Abstract

(1) Introduction: Current evidence shows that mechanical debridement augmented with systemic and topical antibiotics may be beneficial for the treatment of peri-implantitis. The microbial profile of peri-implantitis plays a key role in identifying the most suitable antibiotics to be used for the treatment and prevention of peri-implantitis. This systematic review aimed to summarize and critically analyze the methodology and findings of studies which have utilized sequencing techniques to elucidate the microbial profiles of peri-implantitis. (2) Results: Fusobacterium, Treponema, and Porphyromonas sp. are associated with peri-implantitis. Veillonella sp. are associated with healthy implant sites and exhibit a reduced prevalence in deeper pockets and with greater severity of disease progression. Streptococcus sp. have been identified both in diseased and healthy sites. Neisseria sp. have been associated with healthy implants and negatively correlate with the probing depth. Methanogens and AAGPRs were also detected in peri-implantitis sites. (3) Methods: The study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42023459266). The PRISMA criteria were used to select articles retrieved from a systematic search of the Scopus, Cochrane, and Medline databases until 1 August 2023. Title and abstract screening was followed by a full-text review of the included articles. Thirty-two articles were included in the final qualitative analysis. (4) Conclusions: A distinct microbial profile could not be identified from studies employing sequencing techniques to identify the microbiome. Further studies are needed with more standardization to allow a comparison of findings. A universal clinical parameter for the diagnosis of peri-implantitis should be implemented in all future studies to minimize confounding factors. The subject pool should also be more diverse and larger to compensate for individual differences, and perhaps a distinct microbial profile can be seen with a larger sample size.