Proteom biology of peri-implant inflammation for perspective early detection

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Tobias Fretwurst; Dr. Clemens Kreutz
• Subject Area: Dentistry, Oral Surgery
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 524803248

For peri-implantitis diagnostic, only invasive, unspecific measurements (peri-implant pocket depth measurement, radiological peri-implant bone level) are available. Early non-invasive diagnostic tools or parameters are lacking. The current approach offers the opportunity to examine the hypothesis that healthy implants and healthy teeth have a different specific sulcus protein signature than diseased implants with a peri-implantitis. Furthermore, there is the possibility to record the expected inter-individual variance of the patient immune profiles with peri-implantitis and to transfer this data into a bio-database for a longitudinal, multi-modal monitoring of the peri-implant diseases in the near future and, based on this, also personalized preventive measures and therapy concepts. A clinical, controlled and confirmatory monocentric observational study with a non-interventional design is planned. This study is planned in a cross-sectional design. For this purpose, patients with peri-implant disease are included in a study center for a period of 36 months. The peri-implant diseases are diagnosed according to the current international guidelines by means of peri-implant pocket depth measurement and radiological determination of the peri-implant horizontal bone loss. Peri-implantitis is defined with a peri-implant pocket depth ≥ 6 mm, ≥ 3 mm peri-implant radiological bone loss with bleeding and / or suppuration on probing. Sulcus fluid samples are taken from the diseased implant. If several implants are affected by peri-implantitis, a randomization will be performed Samples from a healthy tooth and implant are also obtained from the same patient. Furthermore, peri-implant tissue samples are taken from the diseased implant during surgical peri-implant therapy. For ethical reasons, no tissue can be removed from healthy implants or a healthy tooth. The aim of the present project is 1. Proteome and cytokine profiling of the sulcus fluid around implants with peri-implantitis compared to healthy implants and healthy teeth. 2. Identification of marker protein signatures and clusters for the detection of peri-implant inflammation in sulcus fluid compared to peri-implant tissue.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Privatdozent Dr. Gerhard Iglhaut; Professor Dr. Oliver Schilling