Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a technique to evaluate the implant-abutment gap of an external hexagon implant system as a function of radius. Six implants of 3·75 mm in diameter (Conexao Sistema de Protese Ltda, Sao Paulo, Brazil) and their respective abutments were screw connected and torqued to 20 N cm-1. The implants were mounted in epoxy assuring an implant long-axis position perpendicular to the vertical axis. Each implant was grounded through its thickness parallel to implant long-axis at six different distance interval. Implant-abutment gap distances were recorded along the implant-abutment region for each section. Individual measurements were related to their radial position through trigonometric inferences. A sixth degree polynomial line fit approach determined radial adaptation patterns for each implant. Micrographs along implant sections showed a approximately 300 μm length implant-abutment engagement region. All implants presented communication between external and internal regions through connection gaps and inaccurate implant-abutment alignment. Average gap distances were not significantly different between implants (P > 0·086). Polynomial lines showed implant-abutment gap values below 10 μm from 0 μm to approximately 250 μm of the implant-abutment engagement region. Gap distances significantly increased from approximately 250 μm to the outer radius of the implant-abutment engagement region. The technique described provided a broader scenario of the implant-abutment gap adaptation compared with previous work concerning implant-abutment gap determination, and should be considered for better understanding mechanical aspects or biological effects of implant-abutment adaptation on peri-implant tissues.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 508-516 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of oral rehabilitation |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2007 |
Keywords
- Dental implant
- External hexagon
- Implant connection
- Implant-abutment gap
- Optical microscopy
- Radial adaptation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Dentistry