The effect of splint material rigidity in implant impression techniques

Area of Science:

• Dental prosthodontics
• Implant dentistry
• Materials science

Background:

• Accurate impressions are crucial for fabricating well-fitting implant-supported prostheses.
• Previous studies have evaluated various impression techniques with varying results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the dimensional accuracy of Duralay splinted impression copings (D) and metal splinted impression copings (M) for implant-supported prostheses.
• To determine which technique yields a more accurate working cast.

Main Methods:

• An in vitro study using a master cast with four implant abutment analogs and a passive framework.
• Vinyl polysiloxane impression material was used with metal stock trays for two groups (D and M, n=5).
• Measurements of abutment/framework interface gaps were analyzed using stereomicroscopy and statistical t-tests.

Main Results:

• The master cast showed a mean gap of 32 Μm.
• Duralay splinted copings (Group D) exhibited a mean gap of 165 Μm.
• Metal splinted copings (Group M) showed a significantly lower mean gap of 69 Μm (P ⋜ .001).

Conclusions:

• Metal splinted impression copings produced a more accurate working cast than Duralay splinted impression copings.
• This suggests metal copings may be preferable for achieving higher dimensional accuracy in implant prosthodontics.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings under diverse clinical conditions.