Peri-implantitis is a destructive inflammatory process affecting the soft and hard tissues surrounding dental implants.[1] The soft tissues become inflamed whereas the alveolar bone (hard tissue), which surrounds the implant for the purposes of retention, is lost over time.
The bone loss involved in peri-implantitis differentiates this condition from peri-mucositis, a reversible inflammatory reaction involving only the soft tissues around the implant.[2][3][4]