Removal torque of zirconia abutment screws under dry and wet conditions.

The aim of this study was to verify whether screw abutment lubrication can generate higher preload values compared to non-lubricated screws, a titanium abutment was screwed onto an implant analog and scanned with the Procera System to generate 20 zirconia abutments. MKIII Brånemark implants were clamped to a precision torque device, and the abutments were distributed in dry and wet groups with 10 specimens each. In the wet groups, the inner threads of the implants were filled with artificial saliva. All abutments were fastened with a Torqtite screw under 32 Ncm. Ten detorque measurements were performed per group pushing the reverse button of the Torque controller soon after screw tightening with values registered. The mean detorque values were calculated and compared by a Student's t test (α=0.05). The wet condition presented significantly higher mean detorque than the dry condition (31.5 ± 1.2 versus 27.5 ± 1.5 Ncm, respectively; p=0.0000024). In conclusion, there was always a loss in the initial torque values when the removal torque was measured under both conditions. The wet condition presented higher mean torque than the dry condition. Better preload values were established in the wet group, suggesting that the abutment screw must be lubricated in saliva to avoid further loosening.

Removal torque of zirconia abutment screws under dry and wet conditions

The aim of this study was to verify whether screw abutment lubrication can generate higher preload values compared to non-lubricated screws, a titanium abutment was screwed onto an implant analog and scanned with the Procera System to generate 20 zirconia abutments. MKIII Brånemark implants were clamped to a precision torque device, and the abutments were distributed in dry and wet groups with 10 specimens each. In the wet groups, the inner threads of the implants were filled with artificial saliva. All abutments were fastened with a Torqtite screw under 32 Ncm. Ten detorque measurements were performed per group pushing the reverse button of the Torque controller soon after screw tightening with values registered. The mean detorque values were calculated and compared by a Student's t test (?=0.05). The wet condition presented significantly higher mean detorque than the dry condition (31.5 ± 1.2 versus 27.5 ± 1.5 Ncm, respectively; p=0.0000024). In conclusion, there was always a loss in the initial torque values when the removal torque was measured under both conditions. The wet condition presented higher mean torque than the dry condition. Better preload values were established in the wet group, suggesting that the abutment screw must be lubricated in saliva to avoid further loosening.

A fim de verificar se a lubrificação do parafuso do pilar pode gerar valores maiores de pré-carga do que nos parafusos não lubrificados, um pilar de titânio foi parafusado no análogo do implante e escaneado pelo Sistema Procera para gerar 20 pilares de zircônia. Depois, os implantes MKIII Brånemark foram presos num dispositivo de torque. Os pilares foram distribuídos em grupos seco e úmido com 10 amostras cada. No grupo úmido, as roscas internas dos implantes foram preenchidas com saliva artificial. Então, todos os pilares foram apertados com parafuso Torqtite a 32 Ncm. Dez medidas de destorque foram realizadas por grupo apertando-se o botão reverso do Torque Controller logo depois do parafusamento, e os valores foram registrados. As medias de destorque foram calculadas e comparadas pelo teste t de Student (?=0,05). Os valores médios obtidos nas condições seca e úmida foram 27,5 ± 1,5 Ncm e 31,7 ± 1,2 Ncm, respectivamente. Diferenças estatisticamente significantes foram observadas (p=0,0000024). Observou-se sempre existir uma perda do torque inicial quando o torque de remoção é mensurado em ambas as condições. A condição úmida demonstrou um valor médio maior de torque do que a condição seca. Valores melhores de pré-carga podem ser estabelecidos no grupo úmido, sugerindo que o parafuso do pilar deve ser lubrificado em saliva para evitar seu afrouxamento.

Swine teeth as potential substitutes for in vitro studies in tooth adhesion: a SEM observation.

Animal teeth are routinely used in studies that test dental materials; however, no studies have yet proposed the use of swine teeth in laboratory tests. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of acid etching on the dentine and enamel of human and swine teeth, aiming at the use of swine teeth as substitutes for human teeth in adhesion tests. Four human molars and four swine molars free of caries were used. For the study of enamel, two human and two swine teeth were longitudinally sectioned with a dental handpiece and a carborundum disk. For evaluation of dentine, the remaining teeth had the occlusal third of their crowns removed using a low speed diamond saw. All specimens underwent acid etching with 37% phosphoric acid for 30s. The etched surfaces were then washed with air/water spray for 10s. The specimens were then prepared for analysis in a Sterioscan 440 scanning electron microscope. It was observed a similar morphology in human and swine teeth, despite swine enamel was thinner than human enamel. Acid etching of swine enamel promoted a demineralization similar to that observed in human enamel in which the three types of Silverstone's patterns were observed. Acid etching of dentine exposed the opening of dentinal tubules in both swine and human teeth. Peritubular dentine was removed by phosphoric acid, while collagen fibrils appeared discernible in intertubular dentine. Thus, this study showed that enamel and dentine from swine and human teeth share many structural similarities after acid etching.

Clinical application of stereolithographic surgical guides for implant placement: preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: The success of implant-supported restorations requires detailed treatment planning, which includes the construction of a surgical guide. Recently, computer-aided rapid prototyping has been developed to construct surgical guides in an attempt to improve the precision of implant placement. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the match between the positions and axes of the planned and placed implants when a stereolithographic surgical guide is employed. METHODS: Six surgical guides used in four patients (three women, one man; age from 23 to 65 years old) were included in the study and 21 implants were placed. A radiographic template was fabricated and computer-assisted tomography (CT) was performed. The virtual implants were placed in the resulting 3-dimensional image. Using a stereolithographic machine, liquid polymer was injected and laser-cured according to the CT image data with the planned implants, generating three surgical guides, with increasing tube diameters corresponding to each twist drill diameter (2.2, 3.2, and 4.0 mm), for each surgical area. During the implant operation, the surgical guide was placed on the jawbone and/or the teeth. After surgery, a new CT scan was taken. Software was used to fuse the images of planned and placed implants, and the locations and axes were compared. RESULTS: On average, the match between the planned and the placed implant axes was within 7.25 degrees +/- 2.67 degrees ; the differences in distance between the planned and placed positions at the implant shoulder were 1.45 +/- 1.42 mm, and 2.99 +/- 1.77 mm at the implant apex. In all patients, a greater distance was found between the planned and placed positions at the implant apex than at the implant head. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical data suggest that computer-aided rapid prototyping of surgical guides may be useful in implant placement. However, the technique requires improvement to provide better stability of the guide during the surgery, in cases of unilateral bone-supported and non-tooth-supported guides. Further clinical studies, using greater number of patients, are necessary to evaluate the real impact of the stereolithographic surgical guide on implant therapy.

Comportamento biomecânico de uma prótese parcial fixa posterior, usando como pilares um dente natural e um importante ossointegrado / Biomechanical behavior of a posterior fixed partial denture, using a natural tooth and an osseointegrated implant as abutments

A partir de imagens radiográficas da região posterior da mandíbula, foi feita uma imagem digitalizada, que foi modificada dando origem a um modelo computacional envolvendo uma prótese fixa de quatro elementos, que possui como pilares um dente natural (primeiro pré-molar inferior) e um implante osseointegrado localizado na região do segundo molar inferior. Através do método dos elementos finitos, foi feita a avaliação das tensões internas nessa prótese fixa, assim como da distribuição de tensões sobre os pilares e as estruturas de suporte, quando o conjunto foi submetido a uma carga vertical de 175 N distribuída ao longo dos elementos da prótese. Os resultados mostraram grandes concentrações de tensões na região cérvico-mesial do implante, no conector entre os pônticos e no conector entre o pôntico e o retentor sobre o implante. Na região entre os parafusos de ouro e de titânio, foram encontradas concentrações de tensões similares àquelas onde foram aplicadas as cargas oclusais. Com relação aos tecidos de suporte, houve grande concentração de tensões na região próxima ao implante