Supraeruption Acting as a Major Obstacle to Dental Implant Restoration

Objectives: The loss of a posterior tooth can result in the supraeruption of the opposing tooth. Excessive supraeruption of opposing teeth reduces the crown height space for the implant crown and may cause occlusal interference. To evaluate the degree and rate of supraeruption according to sex, age and the history of periodontitis on maxillary second molar.
Methods: Data was retrospectively collected in chart and panoramic radiographs of 65 patients who were planned to undergo implant placement on the mandibular second molar site between September 2008 and September 2016. The degree of supraeruption of maxillary second molar and the bone level of neighboring teeth were measured in digital panorama radiographs. The correlation between the degree of supraeruption and the distance from cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) to alveolar bone crest (ABC) was analyzed using Spearman’s test (P<0.05).
Results: Supraeruption was occurred in 51 patients, meaning 78% of prevalence. The mean degree of supraeruption was 0.43mm and the mean rate of supraeruption was 0.07mm/month. Age and the distance from CEJ to ABC showed a weak negative correlation with the degree of supraeruption. However, the supraeruption occurred less frequently in patients over 60 years of age than patients under 60 years of age (81.25% and 70.59%, respectively).
Conclusions: An additional pre-treatment such as a retainer is needed for opposing teeth in case of the implant installation would be performed one year or more after the extraction. More attention is needed for male patients, young patients and especially, patients with periodontitis.