Does Abutment Collar Length Affect Abutment Screw Loosening After Cyclic Loading

A significant vertical space that is corrected with vertical ridge augmentation may necessitate selection of longer abutments, which would lead to an increased vertical cantilever. This study investigated the influence of different abutment collar heights on single-unit dental implant screw-loosening after cyclic loading. Fifteen implant-abutment assemblies each consisted of an internal hexagonal implant were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Group1, consisting of 5 abutments with 1.5 mm gingival height (GH); Group2, 5 abutments with 3.5 mm GH; and Group3, 5 abutments with 5.5 mm GH. Each specimen was mounted in transparent auto-polymerizing acrylic resin block, and the abutment screw was tightened to 35 Ncm with an electric torque wrench. After 5 minutes, initial torque loss (ITL) was recorded for all specimens. Metal crowns were fabricated with 45° occlusal surface and were placed on the abutments. A cyclic load of 75 N and frequency of 1 Hz were applied perpendicular to the long axis of each specimen. Aft...