Delphi Project on the trends in Implant Dentistry in the COVID-19 era: Perspectives from Latin America.

AIM: To establish trends in Implant Dentistry in Latin America in the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A steering committee and an advisory group of experts in Implant Dentistry were selected among eighteen countries. An open-ended questionnaire by Delphi methodology was validated including 64 questions, divided in 7 topics, concerning the various trends in dental implantology. The survey was conducted in two rounds, which provided the participants in the second round with the results of the first. The questionnaires were completed on August 2020, and the online meeting conference was held on September 2020. The final prediction was developed through consensus by a selected group of experts. RESULTS: A total of 197 experts from Latin America answered the first and second questionnaire. In the first round, the established threshold for consensus (65%) was achieved in 30 questions (46.87%). In the second round, performed on average 45 days later, this level was achieved in 47 questions (73.43%). Consensus was completely reached on the item "Diagnostic" (100%), the field with the lowest consensus was "Demand for treatment with dental implants" (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study in Latin America has provided relevant and useful information on the predictions in the education and practice of Implant Dentistry in the COVID-19 era. The consensus points toward a great confidence of clinicians in the biosecurity protocols used to minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. It is foreseen as an important change in education, with introduction of virtual reality and other simulation technologies in implant training.

Group 5 ITI Consensus Report: Digital technologies.

OBJECTIVES: Working Group 5 was assigned the task to review the current knowledge in the area of digital technologies. Focused questions on accuracy of linear measurements when using CBCT, digital vs. conventional implant planning, using digital vs. conventional impressions and assessing the accuracy of static computer-aided implant surgery (s-CAIS) and patient-related outcome measurements when using s-CAIS were addressed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature was systematically searched, and in total, 232 articles were selected and critically reviewed following PRISMA guidelines. Four systematic reviews were produced in the four subject areas and amply discussed in the group. After emendation, they were presented to the plenary where after further modification, they were accepted. RESULTS: Static computer-aided surgery (s-CAIS), in terms of pain & discomfort, economics and intraoperative complications, is beneficial compared with conventional implant surgery. When using s-CAIS in partially edentulous cases, a higher level of accuracy can be achieved when compared to fully edentulous cases. When using an intraoral scanner in edentulous cases, the results are dependent on the protocol that has been followed. The accuracy of measurements on CBCT scans is software dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Because the precision intraoral scans and of measurements on CBCT scans and is not high enough to allow for the required accuracy, s-CAIS should be considered as an additional tool for comprehensive diagnosis, treatment planning, and surgical procedures. Flapless s-CAIS can lead to implant placement outside of the zone of keratinized mucosa and thus must be executed with utmost care.

Biologic width around different implant-abutment interface configurations. A radiographic evaluation of the effect of horizontal offset and concave abutment profile in the canine mandible.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this experimental study was to analyze radiographically in a dog model how different implant-abutment interface configurations influence alveolar crestal bone changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six different experimental implant-abutment connections were evaluated in six mixed-breed dogs. The following parameters were tested: absence of microgap, microgap proximal to bone crest, and microgap distant from bone crest. In addition, two different cervical abutment profiles, one straight and one featuring a supracrestal concavity, were evaluated. Implants were based on a cylindrical full-body screw design and made from cold-worked grade IV commercially pure titanium. The diameter (at thread tips) measured 4.1 mm, whereas the inner diameter was 3.5 mm. Standardized periapical digital radiographs were obtained for comparative analysis at baseline and at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 months after implant placement. Radiographs were randomized and calibrated for linear measurements. For statistical analysis, mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance was used. RESULTS: All implants integrated successfully and remained stable during the entire period of the study. Radiographically, when comparing groups with straight profiles, crestal bone remodeling in group C (one-piece design) was significantly less than in group A (matching diameters) and B (nonmatching diameters). In fact, implant group C showed the least crestal bone remodeling of all groups. When comparing groups with a concave profile but different microgap configurations, all three designs demonstrated bone loss with no significant differences among the three groups. CONCLUSION: A nonsubmerged one-piece implant design demonstrated the least amount of bone remodeling of all groups. Implant-abutment connections with a concave profile established crestal bone levels immediately apical to the concavity regardless of the microgap variable.

Microleakage of all-ceramic crowns using self-etching resin luting agents.

Self-etching adhesive systems are a new generation of materials that possess acidic methacrylates that can generate self-adhesion. There is limited data reported on the marginal leakage of ceramic restorations bonded with self-etching adhesive materials. This study assessed and compared the amount of microleakage of bonded ceramic crowns using three different types of self-etching adhesive systems with and without a die spacer. Eighteen human molars were prepared for all-ceramic IPS Empress crowns and the teeth were randomly assigned to each experimental group. The buccal side had the preparation finish line 1.5 mm below the CEJ, and the lingual finish line was 1.5 mm above the CEJ, creating margins in enamel and dentin. Two die-spacing techniques were used (three layers or no layer of die spacer). Each crown restoration was cemented with one of three self-etching resin luting agents (Panavia F 2.0, Multilink and RelyX Unicem). The specimens were thermally cycled for 1000 cycles, then immersed in a 5% methylene blue dye solution for 24 hours. The teeth were then rinsed, embedded in clear epoxy resin and sectioned. A total of 60 sections were evaluated for each type of resin luting agent using digital image analysis at 70x magnification. A novel formula, using mean percentage of microleakage, was developed by dividing the extent of dye penetration along the tooth/resin luting cement interphase and the total perimeter of the tooth crown surface. The data were analyzed using three-way analysis of variance at the 0.05 level of significance. Fisher's PLSD intervals were calculated for comparing significant means. Panavia F 2.0 showed a lower degree of microleakage than RelyX Unicem and Multilink at both the enamel and dentin margins. Interactions of the main effects (cement, margin and die spacer technique) were all highly significant (p< or =0.004). The degree of microleakage was higher on the dentin margins than on the enamel margins (p<0.0001). The degree of microleakage for the die spacer group was not significantly different from the group with no die spacer technique (p>0.1). Overall, Panavia F 2.0 showed the least microleakage, followed by RelyX Unicem and Multilink, respectively.