Effects of thermocycling, load-cycling, and blood contamination on cemented implant abutments

This study compared the effects of thermocycling, load-cycling, and human blood contamination on the retentive strength of five different cements for luting posts to root-form implants. For each cement, 10 specimens (controls) were stored in an incubator, 10 specimens were thermocycled, 10 specimens were subjected to cyclic compressive loading, 10 specimens were subjected to a combination of thermocycling and cyclic compressive loading, and 10 specimens were contaminated with blood before cementation, then exposed to a combination of thermocycling and compressive loading. After 70 hours, retentive tests were performed on the Instron machine, and data were recorded in kilograms. Significant retentive differences were identified among the cements and with load-cycling, but minimal effect on the retentive strength was demonstrated from thermocycling. Blood contamination in combination with thermocycling and load-cycling adversely affected the retentive strengths of all of the cements and could be a major cause of abutment failure in dental implants.