The effect of a titanium socket with a zirconia abutment on screw loosening after thermocycling in an internally connected implant: a preliminary study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a titanium component for the zirconia abutment in the internal connection implant system on screw loosening under thermocycling conditions. Materials and Methods: Internal connection titanium abutments and external connection zirconia abutments with titanium sockets were connected respectively to screwshaped internal connection type titanium implants with 30 Ncm tightening. These implant-screw-abutment assemblies were divided into two groups of five specimens each; titanium abutments as control and zirconia abutments with titanium sockets as experimental group. The specimens were subjected to 2,000 thermocycles in water baths at 5°C and 55°C, with 60 seconds of immersion at each temperature. The removal torque values (RTVs) of the abutment screws of the specimen were measured before and after thermocycling. RTVs pre- and post-thermocycling were investigated in statistics. Results: There was not screw loosening identified by tactile and visual inspection in any of the specimens during or after thermocycling. The mean RTV difference for the control group and the experimental group were -1.34 ± 2.53 Ncm and -1.26 ± 2.06 Ncm, respectively. Statistical analysis using an independent t-test revealed that no significant differences were found in the mean RTV difference of the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the titanium socket for the zirconia abutment did not show a significant effect on screw loosening under thermal stress compared to the titanium abutment in the internal connection implant. KCI Citation Count: 1