PURPOSE To compare the removal of torque values of machined implant abutment connections (internal and external) with and without soft tissue entrapment using an in vitro model. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty external- and 30 internal-connection implants were embedded in urethane dimethacrylate. Porcine tissue was prepared and measured to thicknesses of 0.5 and 1.0 mm. Six groups (n = 10) were ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the removal torques of a chemically modified SLActive implant and a blasted, laser-treated (BLT) implant, which were soaked in saline for 2 weeks after their surface modifications. The removal torques of the two implants were measured 4 weeks after their implantation into the bone defect area in rabbit tibias with concentrated growth factor (CGF)...

The purpose of this study was to compare side-by-side two different titanium screw-type implants in the maxillae of miniature pigs. The test implants had a machined and acid-etched surface (Osseotite) whereas the control implants were sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA). After 4, 8, and 12 weeks of healing, removal torque testing was performed to evaluate the shear strength of the bone-implant in...

This study presents a histomorphometric and biomechanical comparison of bone response to commercially pure titanium screws with 4 different types of surface topographies placed in the tibial metaphysis of 12 rabbits. Each rabbit had 4 implants placed, 2 in each tibia. The 4 surface topographies were a machined surface, a grit-blasted surface, a plasma-sprayed surface, and an acid-etched (Osseot...

Screw-shaped implants made from rods of commercially pure titanium (grade 1) and titanium-aluminum-vanadium (grade 5) were machined, and the implant surface structures were numerically described before being placed in rabbit tibiae for healing periods of 1 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Quantitative comparisons of the removal torque (Ncm) necessary to loosen the implants from the bone bed wer...

OBJECTIVE To introduce a rabbit-based model for testing the torque removal force (TRF) of implants and to compare the TRF of a series of titanium implants. METHODS Two experiments were performed at the University of the Witwatersrand. In the first, a Swedish- (SSM-N) or a South African-manufactured (SSM-S) implant was implanted into the tibiae of 12 rabbits and the TRF measured at 1, 3 and 6 ...

The possibility of using osseointegrated implants for orthodontic anchorage is well known. When absolute orthodontic anchorage is needed, mini-implants can be inserted in the non-alveolar bone area (e.g. palatal process or retromolar areas of the mandible). However, what happens to these implants at the end of treatment can be a problem as neither trephine explantation nor simply leaving the su...

Pedicle screw loosening has been implicated in recurrent back pain after lumbar spinal fusion, but the degree of loosening has not been systematically quantified in patients. Instrumentation removal is an option for patients with successful arthrodesis, but remains controversial. Here, we quantified pedicle screw loosening by measuring screw insertion and/or removal torque at high statistical p...