Effect of repeated screw joint closing and opening cycles and cyclic loading on abutment screw removal torque and screw thread morphology: Scanning electron microscopy evaluation

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of repeated screw joint closing and opening cycles and cyclic loading on abutment screw removal torque and screw thread morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Materials and Methods: Three groups (n = 10 in each group) of implant-abutment-abutment screw assemblies were created. There were also 10 extra abutment screws as new screws in group 3. The abutment screws were tightened to 12 Ncm with an electronic torque meter; then they were removed and removal torque values were recorded. This sequence was repeated 5 times for group 1 and 15 times for groups 2 and 3. The same screws in groups 1 and 2 and the new screws in group 3 were then tightened to 12 Ncm; this was also followed by screw tightening to 30 Ncm and retightening to 30 Ncm 15 minutes later. Removal torque measurements were performed after screws were subjected to cyclic loading (0.5 × 106 cycles; 1 Hz; 75 N). Moreover, the surface topography of one screw from each group before and after cyclic loading was evaluated with SEM and compared with an unused screw. Results: All groups exhibited reduced removal torque values in comparison to insertion torque in each cycle. However, there was a steady trend of torque loss in each group. A comparison of the last cycle of the groups before loading showed significantly greater torque loss value in the 15th cycle of groups 2 and 3 compared with the 5th cycle of group 1 (P < .05). Nonetheless, torque loss values after loading were not shown to be significantly different from each other. Conclusion: Using a new screw could not significantly increase the value of removal torque. It was concluded that restricting the amount of screw tightening is more important than replacing the screw with a new one when an abutment is definitively placed. © 2018 by Quintessence Publishing Co Inc

Do Type and Shape of Scan Bodies Affect Accuracy and Time of Digital Implant Impressions?

OBJECTIVES: Reports concerning the accuracy of intraoral digital impression systems are limited. This study aimed to assess the effects of scan body types and shapes on digital impression accuracy and scanning time in all-on-four restorations. METHODS: This in vitro study was conducted with two acrylic maxillary models. Two implant systems with different connection types (internal trilobe and external hexagon connection) were inserted according to the all-on-four design. Scanning was performed using Doowon, NT-Trading, and DESS scan bodies. Changes in implants' positions (ΔR) and angulation (ΔA), and the implants' distance from the reference pin (ΔD) compared with the actual model were determined. Scanning times were also measured and compared. RESULTS: The effects of implant connections and scan bodies on ΔR and ΔA were significant (p ⟨0.05). Implant angulation could also affect ΔA (p=0.019). ΔD was only affected by scan body (p ⟨0.001). The three scan bodies were significantly different in terms of scanning time (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed that scan body type and shape, and implant connection and angulation could affect digital impression accuracy in all-on-four restorations. For both internal and external connections, the NT-Trading and DESS scan bodies had the shortest and longest scanning times, respectively