A comparison of wire- and Kevlar-reinforced provisional restorations.

Stainless steel wire 0.036 inch in diameter was compared with Kevlar 49 polyaramid fiber as a means of reinforcing a four-unit posterior provisional fixed restoration with 2 pontics. Three reinforcement patterns for wire and two for Kevlar 49 were evaluated and compared with the control, which was an unreinforced provisional restoration.

Accuracy of replacing three tapered transfer impression copings in two elastomeric impression materials.

The accuracy of replacing three manufacturers' (Dental Imaging Associates, Implant Innovations Inc, and Steri-Oss) tapered transfer impression copings into impressions made with two different materials (Impregum F and Extrude) was evaluated. Five operators replaced these copings into the elastomeric impression materials. The angular deviations (replacement error) of the copings between the control (original) position and the replaced position in the impressions were evaluated.

Three-dimensional analysis of the casting accuracy of one-piece, osseointegrated implant-retained prostheses.

The three-dimensional distortions of implant frameworks of two designs, reflecting the early "Toronto" U-shaped design and a current L-shaped design, were measured. A conventional commercial laboratory one-piece casting method, using a silver-palladium alloy, was used. Distortion was defined by five displacement variables for the centroids of each of five gold cylinders incorporated in each casting: three orthogonal translational displacements (dx, dy, and dz) and two rotational displacements (d theta x and d theta y).