Engineering materials and processes for cranial facial engineering: a study of techniques and methods for dental restoration and enhanced tool life

This thesis studies in depth the various processes, materials and advances in dental and cranial facial techniques and methods. Two main important areas in the field of cranial facial engineering have been addressed. The first of it being techniques and methods for better dental restoration and the second being evaluation of wear and tear on dental tools and materials for enhanced life and performance. The work in all the chapters focuses on methods and materials that are being used at the present time. These techniques are being used in the prostheses on a day to day basis to fabricate custom titanium bone replacement prostheses. Due to the growing need and importance of biomaterials in the dental and medical fields this research in this work has been directed primarily at solving practical clinical problems associated with new techniques and materials. I confirm that the thesis is my own work; and that all published or other sources of material consulted have been acknowledged in notes to the text or the bibliography.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Fatigue Reliability of 3 Single-Unit Implant-Abutment Designs

Objectives: Because the mechanical behavior of the implant-abutment system is critical for the longevity of implant-supported reconstructions, this study evaluated the fatigue reliability of different implant-abutment systems used as single-unit crowns and their failure modes. Methods and Materials: Sixty-three Ti-6Al-4V implants were divided in 3 groups: Replace Select (RS); IC-IMP Osseotite; and Unitite were restored with their respective abutments. Anatomically correct central incisor metal crowns were cemented and subjected to separate single load to failure tests and step-stress accelerated life testing (n = 18). A master Weibull curve and reliability for a mission of 50,000 cycles at 200 N were calculated. Polarized-light and scanning electron microscopes were used for failure analyses. Results: The load at failure mean values during step-stress accelerated life testing were 348.14 N for RS, 324.07 N for Osseotite, and 321.29 N for the Unitite systems. No differences in reliability levels were detected between systems, and only the RS system mechanical failures were shown to be accelerated by damage accumulation. Failure modes differed between systems. Conclusions: The 3 evaluated systems did not present significantly different reliability; however, failure modes were different. (Implant Dent 2012;21:67-71)CAPES, Brazil [BEX 2434/09-1