Summary
Minimal invasive treatment is an important goal of current implant surgical procedures. The aim of the article is to present data on endoscopic procedures in implant surgery to give an overview on the current clinical experience in this field. Endoscopy as part of surgical procedures in implantology consists of the use of rigid endoscopes of 1.9 to 2.7 mm diameter with a variety of support shafts to obtain constant working distance. An irrigation system cleans the optical window. Endoscopy has been applied in the following manner: Internal osteoscopy to inspect bone cavities, external osteoscopy to viszualize bone surfaces, alveoloscopy for diagnosis of alveolar defects and periodontoscopy to visualize peri-implant structures. During the first 5 years of application between 1999 and 2004 the following interventions were carried out: 263 alveoloscopies in 89 patients, 1568 internal osteoscopies in 595 patients, 429 sulcus periodontoscopies in 131 patients and 282 external osteoscopies (subantroscopies and external tunneling) in 236 patients. Method- related possible complications as infection, dry socket, aspiration or intolerance of the method have not been observed. Using various types of endoscopy, the main pathological findings were: Alveolar bone defects, granuloma, foreign bodies, insufficient bone structure, perforation, alveolar bone fenestration, periimplantitis, periimplant bone defects, misfit or damage of implant suprastructures, incompletely regenerated bone structure after augmentation. Endoscopic findings influenced in the surgical procedure in the following cases: Removal of soft tissue, removal of foreign material, decision on augmentation, selection of implant diameter, mode of implant insertion , selection of implant type , mode of implant loading. Endoscopy has become a valuable tool to assist implant surgery, to ensure quality of bone, to check bone structure in vivo, to assist minimal invasive augmentation and to verify the fit of meso- and suprastructures in implant treatment. The first five years of intensive use of support and support immersion endoscopy did not show any evidence of method – related morbidity and contributes valuable data for minimal invasive implant placement
KEY WORDS: endoscopy, dental implants, alveoloscopy, osteoscopy, periodontoscopy.
How to cite this article
ENGELKE, W. & GALLE, C. Endoscopic interventions in oral implantology-a report of 5 years clinical experience. Int. J. Odontostomat., 2(2):153-161, 2008.
