Evaluation of residual contamination on reused healing abutments

The purpose of this study is to evaluate residual contamination of healing abutments sterilized by dealers of dental implant companies.

Healing abutments collected from dealers of different implant companies were randomly numbered, and they were examined for visible deformation and contamination on the abutment surface, packaging errors, and presence of a sterilization indicator. The healing abutments were stained with a dye solution for contamination detection and evaluated by dividing into different regions. The presence of residual contamination was examined through photographic images taken from the healing abutments and the data obtained were recorded. Pearson's chi-square analysis was used to evaluate the relation between implant brands and contamination status. Significance was evaluated as p <0.05.

Visible residual contamination was detected in approximately 31% of the healing abutments. After the staining procedure, in the visual assessment of the stained surfaces, residual contamination was found in at least one region of all healing abutments except one (n=176, 99.4%). The most intense staining was seen in the screw driver hole (n=172, 97.1%), body (n=113, 63.8%), occlusal (n=107, 60.4%), screw (n=79, 44.6%), and connector (n=72, 40.6%) regions, respectively. A significant relationship was found between the brands and the contamination status (p <0.05).

The reuse of healing abutments is not suitable, as it does not ensure optimum cleaning and sterilization, and it is not possible to eliminate contaminants completely.

Despite the economic benefits of multiple use of healing abutments, disadvantages should be carefully evaluated by clinicians.