Premature occlusal contacts induce MRONJ in osseointegrated dental implants
By Eun‐Bin Bae, Ahana Goswami, Jun Yaung, Soo Yeon Kim, Sherry S. Baik, Kaylyn A. Yu, Chan Park, Jung‐Bo Huh, Jae‐Young Kim, Christine Y. Hong, Sol Kim, Reuben H. Kim
Originally at onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Implant-supported restorations in patients on antiresorptive therapy now face a new, modifiable risk: premature occlusal contacts can trigger peri-implant MRONJ even around well-integrated fixtures. Oral surgeons, periodontists, and restorative teams must verify occlusal harmony at delivery and recall to protect both the implant and the patient’s medication-related bone health.
Key points
- In a split-mouth design, composite resin added to one osseointegrated maxillary implant created premature contacts while the contralateral implant served as the control.
- Zoledronic-acid-treated mice developed extensive circumferential bone necrosis and increased macrophage infiltration around the prematurely loaded implant; vehicle-treated mice showed only increased empty lacunae.
- No significant differences in peptidoglycan-positive bacterial signals were detected between groups, indicating the necrosis was driven by occlusal trauma rather than peri-implantitis.
- μCT confirmed reduced radiographic bone-to-implant contact around prematurely loaded implants in both zoledronic-acid and vehicle cohorts.
Who should care
Read the original on Clinical Oral Implants Research
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