Maximum insertion torque of a novel implant-abutment-interface design for PEEK dental implants.

Frequent reports attest to the various advantages of tapered implant/abutment interfaces (IAIs) compared to other types of interfaces. For this reason, a conical IAI was designed as part of the development of a PEEK (polyetheretherketone)-based dental implant. This IAI is equipped with an apically displaced anti-rotation lock with minimal space requirements in the form of an internal spline.

Fatigue limits of different PEEK materials for dental implants.

The increasing use of PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) as a substitute for metal implant components has led to the suggestion that it could also be used as an alternative to titanium in the field of dental implants. A major requirement for dental implant materials is their resistance to cyclic loading due to mastication. A special fatigue test was designed to evaluate the elastic behavior and long-term form stability of cylindrically shaped PEEK specimens of 4, 5 and 6mm in diameter, using 11 different PEEK materials of various grades: unfilled, filled with titanium dioxide or barium sulfate powder, reinforced with short carbon fibers or short glass fibers, and reinforced with continuous carbon fibers.

The applicability of PEEK-based abutment screws.

The high-performance polymer PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) is more and more being used in the field of dentistry, mainly for removable and fixed prostheses. In cases of screw-retained implant-supported reconstructions of PEEK, an abutment screw made of PEEK might be advantageous over a conventional metal screw due to its similar elasticity. Also in case of abutment screw fracture, a screw of PEEK could be removed more easily.

A Novel Approach to Prove Bacterial Leakage of Implant-Abutment Connections In Vitro.

Bacterial leakage from the implant-abutment-interface (IAI) is suspected of contributing to the development of peri-implantitis. The aim of the study was to develop a straightforward test setup to evaluate the bacterial leakage of the IAI of 2-piece implant systems under laboratory conditions. A test suspension of Enterococcus faecium was injected into 7 implants (PerioType Rapid Implants) prior to abutment fixation.

Pressure behavior of different PEEK materials for dental implants.

Due to its mechanical properties, the biocompatible high-performance material PEEK (polyetheretherketone) and PEEK-based compounds may represent viable alternatives to titanium in the field of dental implantology. Therefore we performed static pressure tests with 11 PEEK materials (two unfilled grades, two grades filled with titanium-dioxide-powder, two grades filled with barium-sulfate-powder, two grades reinforced with short carbon fibers, one grade reinforced with glass fibers and two grades reinforced with continuous carbon fibers) in the form of cylindrical specimens with a diameter of 4, 5 and 6mm. The specimens had a height to diameter ratio of 2:1 and were therefore 8, 10 and 12mm high.

Flexural behavior of PEEK materials for dental application.

Objectives: The high-performance thermoplastic polymer PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) is used as alternative implant material to metals since 1998 in many medical fields due to its bone-like mechanical properties. These iso-elastic characteristics of PEEK lead to the assumption, that it could represent a viable alternative to conventional materials also in the field of dentistry. Therefore the mechanical properties of different PEEK-compounds should be eavuated vie the three-point bending test.