SHAPING THE PINK: RETROSPECTIVE INSIGHTS INTO PAPILLA MORPHOLOGY AROUND ADJACENT IMPLANTS AND NATURAL TEETH

Aim: this retrospective study aimed to evaluate the influence of clinical, anatomical, surgical, and prosthetic parameters on the inter-implant and peri-implant papilla morphology between two adjacent implants and tooth-implant. Methods: 82 patients were selected (M = 40; F = 42) with a mean age of 67 years presenting 122 inter-implant papillae and 123 tooth-implant papillae. Clinical and radiographic data were retrospectively collected, including demographic charac- teristics, prosthetic design, distance from contact point to bone and interproximal distances. Papilla height was classified with the Nordland & Tarnow and measured in millimeters. Ra- diographic measurements were performed using ImageJ soft- ware. The acquired data was statistically analyzed. Results: preliminary analysis indicated that inter-implant pa- pilla height was significantly associated with vertical and hori- zontal distances from the contact point to the bone crest. Ad- ditional influencing factors included the emergence profile, the presence of platform switching, and the periodontal pheno- type. The surgical technique showed limited impact on papilla formation. Conclusions: inter-implant papilla height is a multifactorial phenomenon. Vertical and horizontal bone relationships are the most predictive indicators, prosthetic design and soft tissue phenotype also play a relevant role. Pre-surgical planning is essential to optimize aesthetic out- comes.