Evaluation of soft-tissue alteration around implant-supported single-tooth restoration in the anterior maxilla: the pink esthetic score

Purpose: To evaluate the alterations of soft tissue around a single‐tooth implant in the anterior maxilla with a new defined pink esthetic score (PES) at the time of crown placement and 6 months post‐loading. Material and methods: According to the case inclusion criteria, 29 patients subjected to single‐tooth replacement with ITI implant‐supported restoration in the anterior maxilla were included. Assessments of soft tissue after crown placement (baseline) and at 6 months (follow‐up) were performed by two orthodontists with PES. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the two observers. PES for the single‐tooth implant varied from 6.90 to 9.55 at 6‐month follow‐up. The scores of the mesial and distal papilla, level of soft‐tissue margin, soft‐tissue contour, soft‐tissue color and soft‐tissue texture increased significantly at follow‐up. The highest percentage of improvement in PES was found in the cases scoring 0–4 at the baseline. Conclusions: The esthetic outcome of soft tissue around the single‐tooth implant had improved significantly at follow‐up compared with baseline according to PES assessment. The results suggested that the potential for significant changes in soft‐tissue levels after restorative therapy needs to be considered for single‐implant therapy in the anterior maxilla.