title: Connective Tissue Characteristics around Healing Abutments of Different Geometries: New Methodological Technique under Circularly Polarized Light.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe contact, thickness, density, and orientation of connective tissue fibers around healing abutments of different geometries by means of a new method using coordinates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following the bilateral extraction of mandibular premolars (P2, P3, and P4) from six fox hound dogs and a 2-month healing period, 36 titanium implants were inserted, onto which two groups of healing abutments of different geometry were screwed: Group A (concave abutments) and Group B (wider healing abutment). After 3 months the animals were sacrificed and samples extracted containing each implant and surrounding soft and hard tissues. Histological analysis was performed without decalcifying the samples by means of circularly polarized light under optical microscope and a system of vertical and horizontal coordinates across all the connective tissue in an area delimited by the implant/abutment, epithelium, and bone tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In no case had the connective tissue formed a connection to the healing abutment/implant in the internal zone; a space of 35 ± 10 μm separated the connective tissue fibers from the healing abutment surface. The total thickness of connective tissue in the horizontal direction was significantly greater in the medial zone in Group B than in Group A (p < .05). The orientation of the fibers varied according to the coordinate area so that internal coordinates showed a higher percentage of parallel fibers in Group A (p < .05) and a higher percentage of oblique fibers in Group B (p < .05); medial coordinates showed more oblique fibers (p < .05); and the area of external coordinates showed the highest percentage of perpendicular fibers (p < .05). The fiber density was higher in the basal and medial areas (p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abutment geometry influences the orientation of collagen fibers; therefore, an abutment with a profile wider than the implant platform favors oblique and perpendicular orientation of collagen fibers and greater connective tissue thickness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics and Digital Technology, School of Dental Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Rafael Arcesio
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Delgado-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Implant Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Calvo-Guirado
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics and Digital Technology, School of Dental Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abboud
authors.affiliation: Department of Implant Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Piedad
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Murcia University, Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: José Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Maté-Sánchez de Val
authors.affiliation: Department of Implant Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Murcia University, Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Care and Pharmacological Research in Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Granada University, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomez-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Oral Surgery, Faculty of Stomatology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Aleksa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markovic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000044:Dental Abutments; D015921:Dental Implants; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants
keywords: connective tissue; dental implants; healing abutments; histology; polarized light