Surface roughness and adaptation of different materials to secure implant attachment housings.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Various materials are available to secure implant attachment housings in overdentures. Surface roughness and the adaptation of these materials to the denture base and the housings may increase the microcracks and bacterial adhesion at the interfaces in the long term. The surface characteristics of the interface between the denture base orientation material and the attachment housing have not been extensively studied.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the surface roughness and the adaptation of 5 different housing orientation materials to the housings and the denture base.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-five poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) specimens (15 mm in diameter and 4 mm in height) were prepared with a clearance inside to allow the insertion of overdenture housings. Five different materials were used for housing orientation (Quick Up, Ufi Gel Hard, Tokuyama Rebase II Fast, Meliodent, and Paladent). The specimens were thermocycled 5000 times between 5°C and 55°C. The surface roughness (Ra values) of the specimens was measured with a noncontact profilometer. Scanning electron images were made in order to inspect the PMMA-orientation material-housing interfaces. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to investigate the differences between the surface roughness values of the orientation materials, and the Iman-Conover test was used for pairwise comparisons (α=.05).

RESULTS: The surface roughness values significantly differed between Quick up and Ufi Gel orientation materials only, and Quick up had smaller surface roughness values than Ufi Gel (P=.009). Microcracks were observed among the groups only at the junction of the orientation material and the housing after thermocycling.

CONCLUSIONS: Ufi Gel Hard showed the roughest surfaces around the overdenture attachment housings. The adaptation between the orientation material and the housing may deteriorate, and increased surface roughness and microcrack formation may be seen around the housings.