Genetic Involvement in Dental Implant Failure: Association With Polymorphisms of Genes Modulating Inflammatory Responses and Bone Metabolism

Implant loss is the most serious complication of dental implants. Although the problems and causes behind the implant failure are clearly defined today, determination of the underlying causes of failure varies by the case. The clusterization phenomenon of implant loss (multiple implant failures) implies the existence of genetic risk factors. Inflammation has a critical effect on osseointegration and implant success. Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory disease of tissue supporting the tooth or implant. Inflammation leads to loss of support tissue, particularly bone, resulting in failure of implants. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of pro-inflammatory mediator genes may affect their expression levels or amino acid sequence, and, consequently, the host inflammatory response. Since the end of the past century, many studies have been conducted to investigate the association of SNP with implant failure and related conditions. Involvement of several groups of genes—including interleukins, tumor necrosis factor-α, matrix metalloproteinases, and growth factors involved in immune regulation, inflammatory response, and bone metabolism—has been explored. Some have been found to be associated with implant loss and considered potential genetic risk factors for implant failure. In this review, we summarize results of recent studies of impact of genetic factors on dental implant failure.