The effect of repeated torque and salivary contamination on the preload of slotted gold implant prosthetic screws

Abstract Statement of Problem. Screw loosening and/or fracture is common and has been attributed to many factors, including improper torque and preload. Purpose. This study evaluated the effect of repeated preload torque and salivary contamination on the preload of the slotted gold implant prosthetic screw. Material and Methods. Fifteen slotted gold prosthetic screws were tested in an unused stack of components consisting of an implant, an abutment cylinder, and a screw and gold cylinder. A custom load frame and load cell and associated electronics were used. The component stack was lubricated with human saliva. Each screw was tightened to 10 Ncm with a hand-held torque wrench fitted with strain gauge electronics and then removed 10 times. Preload values at the first (Group 1X), fifth (Group 5X), and tenth (Group 10X) repetition were measured. Repeated-measures 1-way analysis of variance ( P Results. The mean preload value increased from Group 1X (184.3 N ± 28.9) to Group 5X (202.5 N ± 27.7) to Group 10X (220.2 N ± 29.0). The differences among these groups were significant ( P =.004). Conclusion. Within the limitations of this study, higher preload was achieved after the repeated use of a saliva-lubricated gold prosthetic retaining screw. (J Prosthet Dent 2002;88:183-191.)