Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between diabetes mellitus and dental implant complications.
Material and methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to answer the following PICO (Participants, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) question: Is there association between diabetes mellitus and dental implant complications? Two independent searchers performed a literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMBASE databases for studies published until February 2020, focussing on studies including continuous outcomes, marginal bone loss (primary outcome), probing depth, and bleeding upon probing (secondary outcomes).
Results and conclusions: A final total of 10 published studies were included in this systematic review. There were statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to marginal bone loss (p < .00001), probing depth (p < .00001) and bleeding around dental implants (p < .00001), and subjects without diabetes had lower complication rates. Additionally, in the subgroup analysis performed with loading time and HbA1c levels, a more evident association was found in immediate loading for probing depth. Moreover, the analysis results of bleeding around dental implants suggested that as HbA1c level increases, the bleeding of the tissues surrounding the implant will also increase. With regard to dental implant complications, there were statistically significant differences favouring patients without diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: Dental implants; diabetes mellitus; meta-analysis.