Bruce Adams
The gradual loss of retention and the need for periodic replacement of attachment system components are the most frequent complications in implant-supported overdentures. Develop a new polymeric attachment model for overdentures and compared your retention and deformation with a conventional O-ring attachment system. A matrix with two mini-implants with ball abutments was used to simulate the mandibular border during a fatigue resistance test. A total of 60 polyacetal (n=20), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (n=20) and O-ring (n=20) attachments were captured in pairs with acrylic resin and subjected to 3.625 insertion/removal cycles, simulating 30 months of overdenture use. The internal and external deformation of the attachments was assessed using an optical stereomicroscope. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test (α=0.05) were used for statistical evaluation. The polyacetal attachment system showed the highest retention (P<.001), followed by the O-ring and PTFE attachments. The O-ring attachments exhibited the lowest deformation (P<.001), and the polyacetal attachments had the highest internal deformation (P<.001). The new polyacetal attachment model that was developed resulted in the high retention of mini-implant-retained overdentures, and despite the deformation experienced, the results suggested a period longer than 30 months before replacement would be required. The gradual loss of retention and the need for periodic replacement of attachment-system components are the most frequent complications in implant-supported overdentures. The purpose of this in vitro study was to develop a new attachment system for overdentures with polymeric materials and compare its retention and deformation with a conventional O-ring attachment system.