SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY EVALUATION OF THE INTERFACIAL FIT OF INTERCHANGED COMPONENTS OF 4 DENTAL IMPLANT SYSTEMS

The introduction of the original Swedish implant system (Branemark) wa s followed by several alternative implant systems with implants and co mponents that closely resembled the original design and treatment prot ocol. Some of these alternative systems may be interchangeable. Manufa cturing variations can result in as much as 0.1 mm of space between th e component parts. The implant/abutment interface fit was evaluated by scanning electron micrography for each of four implant systems, as we ll as interchanged components between the various systems. Results sho wed that certain implant system abutments are interchangeable, and tha t the accuracy of fit meets with or exceeds the criteria set by the or iginal Swedish system.