Implant-abutment connection deformation after prosthetic procedures: an in vitro study

This study tested the possible damage to the internal implant connection provoked by repeated disconnection and reconnection of prosthetic components. Using a light-structured scanner, connection deformation was inferred by threedimensional (3D) positional changes of a "reference" abutment before and after multiple dis- and reconnections. Measurements were taken after 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 insertions of titanium abutments in 16 internal hexagon implants. Statistical analysis revealed that multiple dis- and reconnections could cause a deformation in the implant-abutment connection, proportional to the number of insertion procedures. However, below the threshold of 10 cycles, 3D deformation values were minimal.