Implant abutment screw reverse torque values before and after plasma cleaning

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Dental Implantology
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Abutment screw loosening is a common complication in dental implantology.
• Maintaining screw stability is crucial for long-term implant success.
• Current cleaning protocols may not fully restore screw-implant interface integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of different cleaning treatments on the reverse torque (RevT) of titanium abutment screws.
• To compare steam cleaning, Argon plasma cleaning, and screw replacement methods.
• To assess the impact of chlorhexidine gel on screw stability.

Main Methods:

• An in vitro study involving 50 customized titanium abutment screw complexes.
• Groups were subjected to steam cleaning (control), Argon plasma cleaning (with/without chlorhexidine gel), or new screw replacement (with/without chlorhexidine gel).
• Reverse torque testing was performed after abutments were secured onto implants.

Main Results:

• Test groups (Argon plasma and new screws) demonstrated significantly higher RevT compared to the control (steam cleaning) group.
• No significant differences were observed between most test groups.
• A statistically significant difference was noted between test group 2 (Argon plasma with chlorhexidine) and test group 3 (old screw replacement without chlorhexidine).

Conclusions:

• Argon plasma cleaning and replacing abutment screws with new ones enhance screw stability.
• Steam cleaning is less effective in restoring the reverse torque of abutment screws.
• Further research may explore the specific role of chlorhexidine gel in conjunction with different cleaning modalities.