A new technique for retaining double crowns on implants via custom-positioned vertical screws

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Prosthodontics
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Implant-supported overdentures (IODs) require stable prosthetic components.
• Conventional methods for attaching telescopic crowns to abutments can face challenges.
• Custom-positioned vertical screws (CVS) offer a novel approach to fixation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical efficacy and stability of custom-positioned vertical screws (CVS) for retaining primary telescopic crowns in IODs.
• To assess the incidence of screw loosening and prosthetic complications associated with CVS fixation.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study followed 37 patients with 40 double crown-retained IODs in a private practice.
• Primary telescopic crowns on 120 implant abutments were exclusively retained using CVS.
• Follow-up assessments were conducted over a mean period of 3.55 years.

Main Results:

• A single abutment screw loosening incident was reported, resulting in a low incidence of 0.08%.
• No instances of screw loosening were observed for the primary crowns retained by CVS.
• The overall stability and retention of the prosthetic components were high.

Conclusions:

• Custom-positioned vertical screws (CVS) demonstrate a high degree of stability and reliability for prosthetic fixation in implant overdentures.
• CVS may be considered a viable and effective fixation concept for double crown-retained IODs.
• The low complication rate suggests CVS enhances the long-term success of implant prosthetics.