Athanasios Poulopoulos

THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DENTAL IMPLANT MEDICAL CONTRAINDICATIONS.

ABSTRACT
Dental implants (DI) have progressively become a vital treatment option to replace missing teeth. Failure to recognize dental implant contraindications (DICS) may lead to complications and implant failure. DICS have been classified in various categories such as local, behavioral/environmental, and medical, moreover, DICs are currently classified into relative and absolute. Implant failure may arise from impaired host healing, disruption of a weak bone-to-implant interface after abutment connection, and infection. Absolute contraindications are those which, if not taken into consideration, may result in patient mortality or jaw bone necrosis and implant failure. They include cerebrovascular accident, immunosuppression, active treatment of malignancy, certain categories of psychiatric illness, intravenous bisphosphonate use, and other critical medical conditions. Relative contraindications interfere with normal cell healing and remodeling, but once controlled, implant surgery and survival will succeed. Examples of relative contraindications include, but not limited to, adolescence, aging, smoking, diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus positivity, hypothyroidism and diseases with oral manifestations. Local contraindications, or local risk factors, are relative to the site of implant placement and can be modified by corrective procedures. In conclusion, as dental implant treatment is accompanied by significant functional benefits and improved oral health-related quality of life, dental implant therapy is a feasible treatment in almost any medically compromised patient when the required preventive measures are taken and regular follow-up care is performed.

DR Athanasios K. Poulopoulos (DDS, MSc, PhD)
Professor and Director of the Dept of Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology
Dean
Dental School of Thessaloniki
Aristotle of University of Thessaloniki Greece.

Professor Athanasios Poulopoulos is the Dean of School of Dentistry Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (2nd term elected), head of the Dept of Oral Medicine & Oral Pathology, Dental School of Thessaloniki and director of the Postgraduate Program of Oral Medicine & Oral Pathology.
Prof. Poulopoulos serves as Vice President of the Hellenic Association of Oral Medicine & Pathology, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of Balkan Stomatological Society (BASS), and he is member in several other scientific societies such as the European Association of Oral Medicine (EAOM) and International Association of Dental Research (IADR-CED).
Prof. Poulopoulos has co-authored more than 130 scientific papers, chapters in books and participated with more than 270 oral presentations and posters in many conferences and seminars. He serves as reviewer and member of the editorial board in several scientific journals. His main clinical and research interests involve oral cancer and precancer including immunohistochemical analysis of oral malignancy , salivary gland diseases, systemic diseases with oral manifestations, drug adverse reactions on the oral mucosa.