Interface between abutment and implant

Despite the excellent success rates in rehabilitation with osseointegrated implants, many failures have been described and are related to surgical techniques, mechanical and/or microbiological factors. In the conventional technique, the implant is installed at the level of the bone crest and, after 3 to 6 months, a prosthetic abutment is installed to make the future prosthesis, creating an interface (microfissure), which makes this region susceptible to bacterial colonisation, compromising implant survival. Peri-implant bone loss may not represent a problem for function, but bone sequelae generally affect the final aesthetics of the work and can lead to proportional gingival recession as occurs in natural dentition, resulting in a lower papilla height. The presence of cracks between the components is inevitable. Therefore, considering that the occurrence of bacterial infiltration is one of the main parameters for analysing the degree of quality in the manufacture of these connections, the aim of this study was to assess their behaviour.