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Purpose: To evaluate the fracture load of monolithic, single-tooth implant-supported crowns cemented on solid or Ti-base (Variobase C) abutments. Materials and Methods: Besides abutment types (solid and Ti-base abutments), two ceramic systems (IPS e.max CAD and Zirconia inCoris ZI) and two occlusal thicknesses (0.5 and 1.5 mm) were also investigated in this study. In total, eight groups (n = 8) with 64 maxillary second premolar crowns were fabricated. All the crowns were cemented with resin cement, and the screw accesses in Ti-base groups were sealed with composite resin. After mechanical cycling, the specimens were submitted to fracture load test with the maximum force recorded in Newtons (N). Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc test were used for statistical analyses (α = .05). Results: Both the abutment type (P = .0001) and the ceramic system (P = .0001) significantly affected the results. Screw-access channels reduced the fracture load of crowns by half compared to those cemented on solid abutments. The 1.5-mm and 0.5-mm zirconia crowns placed on solid abutments had similar highest fracture loads, while the e.max CAD groups positioned on Ti-base abutments showed significantly lower values compared with other groups. Conclusion: The screw access reduces the resistance of crowns supported by Ti-base abutments compared to crowns cemented on solid abutments. The inCoris ZI showed a higher fracture load than the IPS e.max CAD regardless of the abutment type and thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Soft tissue augmentation (STA) at implant sites has the potential of improving peri‐implant health, esthetics, and marginal bone level stability. The present study aimed at evaluating the volumetric changes occurring following implant placement in sites that received STA compared to non‐augmented sites. Methods: A total of 26 subjects received a dental implant in a posterior edentulous site. Simultaneous STA with a xenogeneic cross‐linked collagen scaffold was performed for the first 13 patients, while the remaining subjects served as the negative control. An intraoral optical scanner was used at baseline and at 12 weeks to generate digital models. Results: The mean volume (Vol) gain of the test group was 38.43 mm3, while a mean Vol of −16.82 mm3 was observed for the control group (p < 0.05). The mean thickness of the reconstructed volume (ΔD) was 0.61 and −0.24 mm, for the test and control group, respectively (p < 0.05). Higher linear dimensional changes were observed for the test group (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in terms of keratinized mucosa width and pocket depth changes between the two groups. Conclusions: Simultaneous STA with xenogeneic collagen scaffold obtained statistically significant higher volumetric outcomes compared to the non‐augmented group. Clinical Significance: STA at the time of implant placement using a xenogeneic cross‐linked collagen scaffold can prevent remodeling of the ridge during the first 12 weeks, as compared to non‐grafted implant sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performing soft tissue augmentation (STA) at implant sites to improve esthetics, patient satisfaction, and peri-implant health is common. Several soft tissue grafting materials can be used to increase soft tissue thickness at the second-stage surgery, including human dermal matrices and xenogeneic collagen scaffolds. This study assessed and compared the volumetric outcomes, from second-stage surgery to crown delivery, around implants that received STA with a xenogeneic cross-linked collagen scaffold (XCCS) vs nonaugmented implant sites. Thirty-one patients (31 implant sites) completed the study. Intraoral digital scans were taken at the second stage and prior to crown delivery, and the STL files were imported in an image-analysis software to assess volumetric changes. XCCS-augmented implants showed significantly greater volumetric changes compared to control sites, which showed volume loss. The mean thickness of the XCCS-augmented area was 0.73 mm. There was no difference in patient-reported esthetic evaluations between groups. STA with XCCS provided significantly greater volumetric outcomes compared to nonaugmented sites. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term behavior of the augmented peri-implant mucosa and the effects of STA on peri-implant health.