A Study on the Retention of Cement Retained Implant Prosthesis : Effect of luting agents, height of implant abutments and the type of copings

The objective of the research was to determine the effect of luting agents, height of the implant abutments and the type of copings on the retention of cemented implant prosthesis. Two brands of standard titanium implant abutments of 3.75mm diameter and 6 degree taper were used (ADIN, MIS implant systems). The abutments were machined to two different heights viz. 4mm and 6mm. The implant analogs with the abutment were positioned in cylindrical bases using surveyor. Two types of copings were fabricated viz. metal copings and Zirconia copings. The copings were cemented with De Trey Zinc and Provicol cement. The cemented specimens were stored for 24 hours at 37 deg C. Tensile testing was done using universal testing machine. Results showed that the height of the implant abutment and the retention of the copings have a directly proportional relationship. While comparing Zirconia and metal copings, the former always exhibited superior retention strength irrespective of the other variables such as luting agents and height of the abutment. Between the two luting agents, De Trey Zinc always showed higher mean retention strength irrespective of the type of coping and height of the abutment.