Ernestas Svazas*; Saulius Zukauskas; Tomas Linkevicius; Ignas Povilavicius

Institute of Dentistry, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

Background: In implant dentistry practice reused and resterilized healing abutments are more common than new ones. One of the reasons for this phenomen – economic considerations. However, resterilized healing abutments may not guarantee totally clean surface, as unremoved debris may initiate inflammation process, which could lead to crestal bone loss (Fig. 1,2).

Aim/Hypothesis: To evaluate amount of carbon contamination of pristine and reused sterilized healing abutments.

Material and Methods: In total 80 identical healing abutments were observed by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) method:

1) Test 1 group - 20 unused healing abutments. 2) Test 2 group – 20 in vitro contaminated healing abutments. Washing and sterilizing procedures performed by using traditional (disinfection in ultrasonic bath, cleaning with distilled water and sterilizing) protocol. 3) Test 3 group – 20 in vitro contaminated healing abutments. Washing and sterilizing procedures performed by using traditional cleaning protocol plus sinking in EDTA solution. 4) Test 4 group – 20 in vitro contaminated healing abutments. Washing and sterilizing procedures performed by using traditional cleaning protocol plus sinking in EDTA and NaOCl solutions respectively.

All healing abutments were observed by using SEM. The research was made by taking a photograph of healing abutment using SEM and analysing chemical structure.

Results: The measurements in all the groups were calculated by healing abutment’s contamination of elemental carbon quantity: 1st grouP (0.00 ± 00), 2nd group (5.34 ± 1.72), 3rd group (4.86 ± 1.29), 4th group (3.60 ± 1.65) (Table 1). Results showed significant increase of elemental carbon when the abutment was not pristine (P < 0.05). Significant elemental carbon decrease was found after decontaminating healing abutments with cleaning protocol No. 3 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion and Clinical implications: All reused healing abutments, which were washed by different protocols and sterilized, were more contaminated by carbon, compared to pristine abutments.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared.

Keywords: abutment, implant failure, marginal bone loss