Analysis of the pullout testing of straight and angled abutments in narrow diameter implants

Abstract

Despite the success of osseointegrated implants, some biomechanical problems such as loosening or fracture of the abutment, crown fixation screw loosening and prosthetic instability, are common problems reported in the literature. Thus, the objective of the present study was to analyze the pullout resistance of straight and angled abutments in narrow diameter implants installed by means of friction. The specimen was composed of an implant of 3.3 mm x 11 mm fixed 2 mm above of a resin block. The abutments were fixed by friction receiving 3, 5 and 7 strikes of 0.05 J along the implant axis, and were positioned with 0˚, 10˚ and 20˚ of angulation. The abutments were subjected to pullout load, totalizing 10 repetitions for each test, i.e., the abutment was reinserted up to 10 times in the same implant. The results showed higher values of pullout load for the abutments with 7 strikes, and no statistical difference with 5 strikes suggesting better mechanical stability.