title: The clinical assessment of a ceramic-coated transmucosal dental implant collar.
abstract: This study compared the superficial tissue responses to titanium and ceramic surfaces of transmucosal elements of established IMZ implants. In a splitmouth study on 14 patients with two mandibular implants and a bar-retained complete mandibular denture, a conventional titanium and a newly developed ceramic-coated transmucosal element were placed. A range of clinical parameters were recorded before transmucosal-element replacement and at 1, 4, and 12 weeks postplacement. A comparison of the recorded soft tissue responses revealed no significant differences between a group of implants fitted with ceramic-coated transmucosal elements and a group of contralateral implants fitted with titanium transmucosal elements. Further analysis suggested that the peri-implant soft tissues adjacent to titanium and ceramic surfaces may differ in features that are not apparent when routine clinical parameters are used. The plaque accumulation scores for ceramic-coated transmucosal elements were significantly lower than those recorded in titanium transmucosal elements. These results suggest that the further development of a ceramic implant transmucosal collar may assist plaque control at the soft tissue-implant interface and may favourably influence the tissues in this region. This investigation should be considered a pilot study in view of the duration of the observations and number of patients involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, University of Birmingham Dental School, England.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Last
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002516:Ceramics; D000044:Dental Abutments; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000209:etiology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants; D014025:Titanium