Natural killer (NK) cells, as members of the innate immune system, and natural killer T (NKT) cells, bridging innate and adaptive immunity, play a prominent role in chronic inflammatory diseases and cancerogenesis, yet have scarcely been examined in oral diseases. Therefore, systematic research on the latest literature focusing on NK/NKT cell-mediated mechanisms in periodontal disease, including the time period 1988–2020, was carried out in MEDLINE (PubMed) using a predetermined search strategy, with a final selection of 25 studies. The results showed that NK cells tend to have rather proinflammatory influences via cytokine production, cytotoxic effects, dendritic-cell-crosstalk, and autoimmune reactions, while contrarily, NKT cell-mediated mechanisms were proinflammatory and immunoregulatory, ranging from protective effects via B-cell-regulation, specific antibody production, and the suppression of autoimmunity to destructive effects via cytokine production, dendritic-cell-crosstalk, and T-/B-cell interactions. Since NK cells seem to have a proinflammatory role in periodontitis, further research should focus on the proinflammatory and immunoregulatory properties of NKT cells in order to create, in addition to antibacterial strategies in dental inflammatory disease, novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches modulating host immunity towards dental health.

We describe the restorative treatment of an 86‐year‐old female patient who was referred to our specialist prosthodontics clinic. Due to secondary osteoporosis, she underwent oral antiresorptive therapy with ibandronic acid for 10 years. Although she was classified as a patient at increased risk of drug‐induced osteonecrosis of the jaw, she eventually signed a consent form for fixed implant‐supported prosthetic rehabilitation in her 4th sextant. However, after tooth extraction, the bone ridge was too small at the intended implant positions. Therefore, guided bone regeneration was performed with a computer‐aided design/computer‐aided manufacturing three‐dimensional printed titanium mesh. Finally, a continuous augmented hard tissue ridge above 7 mm was found, and three implants were inserted. Eventually, after four months of submerged healing, the implants were loaded with single crowns. Now, the patient is seen regularly for supportive peri‐implant therapy.