Premature exposure of dental implant cover screws. A retrospective evaluation of risk factors and influence on marginal peri-implant bone level changes.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify risk factors associated with the premature cover screw exposure (pCSE) at dental implants and to evaluate the influence of a pCSE on peri-implant marginal bone level (MBL) change compared to non-exposed implants.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective data assessment from 165 patients (mean age = 54.0 ± 14.