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The Effect of Titanium Implant Abutment Surface Irregularities on Plaque Accumulation In Vivo
Author(s) -
McCollum Judith,
O'Neal Robert B.,
Brennan William A.,
Van Dyke Thomas E.,
Horner Jack A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.036
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1943-3670
pISSN - 0022-3492
DOI - 10.1902/jop.1992.63.10.802
Subject(s) - materials science , abutment , abrasive , dentistry , implant , magnification , medicine , composite material , surgery , civil engineering , computer science , computer vision , engineering
T he purpose of this study was 2‐fold to: 1) evaluate in vitro the surface texture of titanium implant abutments after exposure to plastic sealers, an air‐powder abrasive system, rubber cup polishing with flour of pumice, and untreated control abutments; and 2) compare plaque accumulation in humans on abutments treated with the above methods. In part I, 5.5 mm abutments were instrumented for 30 seconds per 90° segment with the respective methods. The surface character was compared to untreated controls using SEM at 260X magnification. The control abutments revealed prominent milling marks and small pits; plastic sealers slightly smoothed the milling marks and created microscratches; the air‐powder abrasive largely obliterated the milling marks and caused some surface pitting; the rubber cup with flour of pumice removed the milling marks and created a smooth swirl pattern. None of the instrumentation appeared to roughen the surface. In the clinical experiment (part II), four abutments, one of each type, were placed in 12 patients for a period of 7 days, during which the patients performed no oral hygiene. At the end of 7 days, the abutments were retrieved and processed for SEM. A digitizer and software program were used to determine the percent of total abutment surface area covered by plaque. The demarcation of supragingival and subgingival plaque was well delineated. The total mean percent surface area of plaque ranged from 52.06% for the air‐powder abrasive to 55.29% for the plastic sealers. All abutments collected plaque, but no single treatment yielded a surface with significantly different amounts of plaque accumulation. For maintenance and prophylaxis, any of these methods may be used without damaging the abutment surface or enhancing plaque accumulation. The rubber cup with flour of pumice provides the smoothest polished abutment surface when used with light intermittent pressure. Heavy pressure with the rubber cup on an abutment may gouge the surface or round the abutment–prosthesis interface. J Periodontol 1992; 63:802– 805 .