J Adv Prosthodont.  2021 Jun;13(3):152-159. 10.4047/jap.2021.13.3.152.

Pull-off resistance of a screwless implantabutment connection and surface evaluation after cyclic loading

• Alevizakos V
• Mosch R
• Mitov G
• Othman A
• See Cv

• KMID: 2516995
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2021.13.3.152

Abstract

Purpose
The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent cyclic load affects the screwless implant-abutment connection for Morse taper dental implants.
Materials and Methods
16 implants (SICvantage max) and 16 abutments (Swiss Cross) were used. The screwless implant-abutment connection was subjected to 10,000 cycles of axial loading with a maximum force of 120 N. For the pull-off testing, before and after the same cyclic loading, the required force for disconnecting the remaining 6 implant-abutment connections was measured. The surface of 10 abutments was examined using a scanning electron microscope 120× before and after loading.
Results
The pull-off test showed a significant decrease in the vertical force required to pull the abutment from the implant with mean 229.39 N ± 18.23 before loading, and 204.30 N ± 13.51 after loading (P <.01). Apart from the appearance of polished surface areas and slight signs of wear, no visible damages were found on the abutments.
Conclusion
The deformation on the polished abutment surface might represent the result of micro movements within the implant-abutment connection during loading. Although there was a decrease of the pull-off force values after cyclic loading, this might not have a notable effect on the clinical performance.

Keyword

Dental implant-abutment connection; Dental implant; Wear; Morse taper dental implant-abutment connection