Three-Dimensional Displacement of Nine Different Abutments for an Implant with an Internal Hexagon Platform

Clinicians need to know whether there are any differences among the many abutment options available for restoring a particular implant. This study aims to compare nine abutments for one implant system for positional changes between hand tightening and torqueing.

Nine Tapered Screw-Vent (TSV) implants were placed into a resin block. Five specimens of nine different abutments (n = 45) were tried in one of the nine implants. Initially, the abutments were torqued to 20 Ncm to represent hand tightening. Abutments were tightened to 30 Ncm using a torque driver as recommended by the manufacturer for final seating. Images were recorded in 12-second intervals for approximately 10 minutes after the torque was applied. The spatial relationship of the abutments to the resin block was determined using three-dimensional digital image correlation. Commercial image correlation software was used to analyze the displacements. Mean displacements for the nine different abutments were calculated in all three dimensions and for overall displacement in space. A t test with a step-down Bonferroni correction was used for a pairwise comparison of each abutment's mean displacements to the other abutments to determine statistical differences (α = .05).

The Atlantis titanium, Inclusive titanium, and Legacy zirconia abutments showed mean displacements that were statistically significantly higher than other abutments in the horizontal direction. The overall three-dimensional displacement of the Atlantis titanium abutment after an applied 30-Ncm torque was significantly higher than that of six of the other eight abutments (P < .0144).

Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the Zimmer PSA demonstrated less displacement between hand tightening and torqueing than the Atlantis titanium or Inclusive titanium abutments when used to restore a TSV implant.