Preload and torque removal evaluation of three different abutment screws for single standing implant restorations.

Several authors still consider the mechanical problems of fracture and component loosening as the main causes of failure of implant-supported restorations. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the preload of three types of screw for transmucosal abutment attachment used in single implant-supported prosthesis through strain gauge and removal torque measurements. Three external hex fixtures were used, and each received a transmucosal abutment (Cera One), which was fixed to the implant with its respective screw: Group A- gold screw, Group B- titanium screw and Group C- surface-treated titanium screw (Ti-Tite).

Development and calibration of a pedal with force and moment sensors.

An instrumented bicycle pedal was built and calibrated. The pedal has good linearity and sensibility, comparable to other instruments in the literature. This study aimed to perform accurate calibration of a tri-axial pedal, including forces applied, deformations, nonlinearities, hysteresis and standard error for each axis.

Development of a device to measure bracket debonding force in vivo.

The purposes of this study were to develop a device to measure bracket debonding force in vivo and to evaluate, in vitro, the bond strength obtained with the device and with tensile and shear bond strength (SBS) tests performed in a universal testing machine. The device was developed using polypropylene pliers (3M Unitek). The basic principle consisted of measuring the applied force to debond, using two strain gauges (Kyowa) bonded to the region of major deformation of the plier handles.