A 3-year prospective study of a single-tooth implant--prosthodontic complications.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this 3-year prospective study was to evaluate a new titanium dental implant system and to identify any mechanical concerns or deficiencies in its design.


METHODS
One periodontist placed 78 single-tooth implants in 59 subjects. One restorative dentist using one dental laboratory fabricated all of the crowns. Each patient then was seen eight times by the authors for clinical, radiographic, and laboratory testing.


RESULTS
One of the 78 implants failed to integrate and was removed. There were no structural failures per se, although six of the cemented crowns and six of the restorative posts and cores (abutments) became loose. On a few occasions, the emergence profile was esthetically or functionally unsatisfactory. The manufacturer introduced changes in design and created an adjustable torque wrench, a torque-adjusting beam scale, and die replicas of the abutment posts in response to the identified concerns.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical trial helped in the development of an implant system that is user friendly, cost effective, and able to withstand parafunctional forces in the absence of antirotational features.
Johnson
R H
RH
Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7444, USA. rhjperio@u.washington.edu
Persson
G R
GR
D000497:Alloys; D000540:Alveolar Ridge Augmentation; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002484:Cementation; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000737:chemistry; D003442:Crowns; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D019250:Dental Implants, Single-Tooth / Q000009:adverse effects; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design / Q000295:instrumentation; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016348:Osseointegration; D011176:Post and Core Technique; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000497:Alloys; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D003722:Dental Alloys; C031462:titanium alloy (TiAl6V4); D017886:Durapatite; D014025:Titanium