title: Impact of abutment material on peri-implant soft tissue color. An in vitro study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of the present study is to determine the differences in peri-implant soft tissue color with the utilization of titanium, titanium gold-plated, white zirconia, Vita Classical (VC) A4-shaded zirconia, and fluorescent white zirconia abutments and to establish the influence of gingival thickness on the resulting color.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four implants were contralaterally inserted in 19 fresh pig mandibles, and the color of the peri-implant mucosa with the different abutments was spectrophotometrically measured at 1-, 2-, and 3-mm height from the margin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 1-mm height, titanium significantly differed from all zirconia abutments in lightness (L*), chroma along red axis (a*), and chroma along yellow-blue axis (b*) parameters. At 2 mm, all zirconia abutments differed from titanium in b* but only fluorescent zirconia in a*. At 3 mm, titanium differed from VC A4-shaded and fluorescent zirconia abutments in b*. At soft tissue thicknesses <1 and 1-2 mm, titanium differed from fluorescent zirconia in a* and b* and from VC A4-shaded zirconia in b*; at thickness >2 mm, no differences were found among abutments. All abutments differed from natural teeth in a* and b* at all heights and thicknesses except for fluorescent zirconia at thickness >2 mm. The Euclidean distance (ΔΕ) differed between titanium abutments and gold, VC A4, and fluorescent zirconia at <1- and 1-2-mm thicknesses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The natural gingival color was not reproduced with any abutment at gingival thicknesses <2 mm. The worst color match was with titanium abutments and the best with fluorescent zirconia, followed by VC A4-shaded zirconia. At gingival thicknesses >2 mm, no differences were detected among abutments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that the type of abutment and the gingival thickness affect the resulting peri-implant gingival color.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. letisala@hotmail.com.|Departmento de Estomatología III, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain. letisala@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.|Departmento de Estomatología III, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bascones-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.|Departmento de Estomatología III, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carrillo-de-Albornoz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003116:Color; D000044:Dental Abutments; D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006047:Gold Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008334:Mandible; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013552:Swine; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D015040:Zirconium / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials; D006047:Gold Alloys; D015040:Zirconium; D014025:Titanium; C028541:zirconium oxide
keywords: Abutment; Gingiva; Gingival color; Peri-implant; Soft tissue; Spectrophotometer