Severe infectious complications after PEEK-derived implant placement: Report of three cases

IntroductionPoly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is a radiolucent substitute for titanium commonly used in spinal surgery. Its applications to oral surgery are promising but the osseointegration of PEEK-derived dental implants and the potential complications of their placement are not well studied.Case reportWe report three cases of patients presenting with severe infectious complications after being implanted with intra-osseous PEEK-derived biocompatible materials. We underline the difficulties in managing those infections due to the limited knowledge on the properties of PEEK in implantology.ConclusionAlthough many PEEK-derived implants are currently being evaluated in vitro and in vivo, definitive clinical results on their safety are not available. We report 3 cases of PEEK-derived implant placement where poor osseointegration led to severe infections and implant loss. Further clinical trials are thus needed to evaluate the applicability of biocompatible PEEK-based material in implantology.