Fracture resistance of titanium and zirconia abutments: An in vitro study
Section snippets
Specimen Preparation
Twenty-two specimens were prepared for 2 test groups of 11 specimens each, representing implant-supported anterior single crowns (Fig. 1). Group T consisted of specimens with identical stock titanium abutments (TiDesign, 3.5/4.0, 4.5 mm diameter, 1.5 mm height; AstraTech Dental AB, Mölndal, Sweden), and Group Z consisted of specimens with identical 1-piece stock zirconia abutments (ZirDesign 3.5/4.0, 4.5 mm diameter, 1.5 mm height; AstraTech Dental AB). Twenty-two identical dental implants
Results
The results of the study are shown in Table I. The titanium abutment group fractured at a mean (SD) load of 269.6 (56.7) N and a mean (SD) of 81 14;935 (27 14;929) cycles. The zirconia abutment group fractured at a mean (SD) load of 139.8 (24.6) N and a mean (SD) of 26 14;296 (9200) cycles. The difference was statistically significant for both mean load and mean number of cycles (P<.001). The survival rate of titanium abutments was significantly higher than that of zirconia abutments (P<.001).
Discussion
The null hypothesis was rejected as the zirconia abutments demonstrated a significantly lower fracture resistance than the titanium abutments. This study used a stepped fatigue loading protocol,39, 40, 41 in which a predetermined load was applied for a defined number of cycles, followed by incremental increases in load for a set number of cycles until failure of the specimen. The benefit of this type of test is that it provides a better simulation of clinical conditions than a static load test,
Conclusions
1-piece titanium and zirconia abutments were tested in a stepped fatigue loading protocol. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the titanium abutment system was significantly more fracture resistant than the zirconia abutment system. The following conclusions can be made:
- 1.
The mean number of cycles until failure of the titanium abutment group was 3 times that of the zirconia abutment group.
- 2.
The average load before failure for the titanium abutment group was almost twice that of the
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Mr Clay Taylor, Mr Ilya Zalizniak, and Mr Ed Ormerod for assistance in specimen preparation; Dr Gerard Clausen and Dr Brian Fitzpatrick for assistance with the manuscript; Mr Chris Owen for the photography; Miss Sandy Clarke (Statistical Consulting Centre, University of Melbourne) for statistical expertise; Astra Tech Dental for the donation of implant materials; and The Melbourne Dental School, the University of Melbourne, the Australian Dental Research Fund, Bio 21
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