Effect of cement remnants at crown-abutment margin on peri-implant soft tissue In vivo study

Abstract

The growing esthetic demands of clinicians as well as expectations of patients regarding implants, have led to progress not only in the treatment protocols, but also in the design of implants and abutments. However, most of the results & scientific data about the clinical influence of abutment design and cementation technique on peri-implant soft tissue stability, esthetics and health have still been controversial and inconclusive. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of abutment design and cementation technique on the biological & esthetic outcomes around single tooth implants. Twenty-eight titanium endosseous threaded implants were placed in twenty- eight patients with twenty-eight missing teeth in the premolar maxillary region. Fourteen crowns were cemented over the abutments with the cement applied to all axial walls, seven of these crowns were cemented on closed abutments while the other seven crowns were cemented on vented abutments. The treatment protocol included three stages; surgical stage where the implants were placed, followed by the prosthetic stage which included placement of abutments of different designs, final impressions were then made & provisional crowns were fabricated and cemented.