A comprehensive study on the mechanical effects of implant-supported prostheses under multi-directional loading and different occlusal contact points.

AIMS: To evaluate screw loosening and fracture load and angular deviation of a single implant-supported prosthesis under multi-directional loading condition at three different occlusal contact points. METHODS: A total of 40 metal crowns were cemented to external connection implants and were embedded vertically and obliquely. The occlusal surface of the crown was designed with three flat surfaces, contact a, b, and c, representing outer and inner 20-degree inclination for buccal and lingual cusps. The angular deviations of implant crown under static 50N of loading were measured. And screw removal torque was evaluated before and after 57,600 load cycles. Then, fracture load was measured for each specimen. Data analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance test of significance followed by Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) test(p < 0.05). RESULTS: Angular deviation results showed statistical significance between all contact points in vertically embedded group compared to obliquely embedded group, which showed similar results between contact A and B compared to C. In the other hand, screw loosening evaluation did not show statistical significance among the tested groups. And for the fracture load evaluation the maximum values reached twice the yield values in all contact areas. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical effects were different regarding to diverse loading direction and contact points. The results of this study suggest that the stress concentration might increase in unfavorable vector direction.