Multi-Evaluation of Dental Abutments With Different Surfaces

The placement of dental implants has been a routine procedure for the rehabilitation of fully or partially edentulous patients for nearly 40 years. Dental abutments are intermediary components that connect prosthetic teeth to the implants after healing. Depending on the properties of the abutment material, plaque accumulation and bacterial adhesion may lead to inflammation and bone loss in peri-implant tissues. Developed by Nobel Biocare, the Xeal™ abutment surface protects the underlying bone, supports stable soft tissue integration, and has been shown to reduce marginal bone loss and promote healthier mucosa compared to machined abutments. However, previous studies have mostly relied on clinical and radiographic evaluations, without three-dimensional evaluation or microbiological analysis. This study aimed to evaluate peri-implant marginal bone loss (MBL), digital evaluation of peri-implant soft tissue, and differences in the microbial composition of the oral microflora colonizing the soft tissue/abutment interface between Multi-unit Abutments Xeal™ and conventional titanium multi-unit abutments placed in the posterior region.