Colin Sykes

In these difficult economic times practitioners and patients are looking for cost-effective implant solutions that deliver an excellent result without costing the earth. There are all kinds of options available to restore an implant and often labs and dentists are tempted to use cheaper, non-system specific parts to try and reduce costs, however this usually results in a poorly fitting connection between the implant and abutment, which in turn risks the overall success of the restoration.

Recent research (table 1) comparing the rotational misfit between original abutments on original implants and non-original abutments on original implants highlights some interesting findings.

The non-original abutments differed in the design of the connecting surfaces, shape, dimensions and material and had a higher rotational misfit. It is suggested that all these differences may result in unexpected failure modes and may have an effect on clinical handling. Conversely the study found that the interface with the original Straumann abutment on the original Straumann implant was the most precise connection.