Materials (Mar 2024)

Preload and Removal Torque of Two Different Prosthetic Screw Coatings—A Laboratory Study

  • Lara Coelho,
  • José Manuel Mendes,
  • Joana Mendes,
  • Carlos Aroso,
  • António Sérgio Silva,
  • Maria-Cristina Manzanares-Céspedes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17061414
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 6
p. 1414

Abstract

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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two coating materials, a silicone sealing gel and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape, on the screw preload and removal torque value (RTV) to develop strategies to prevent prosthetic screw loosening. We examined 45 complexes comprising an implant, abutment, and prosthetic screw, of which 15 samples were uncoated, 15 were coated with GapSeal® (Hager & Werken GmbH & Co., Duisburg, Germany), and 15 were coated with PTFE tape (MIARCO®, Valencia, Spain). The screws were tightened to register the preload and then untightened to register the RTV. The preload values showed a statistically significant difference only in the PTFE group, suggesting that this lubricant negatively affects the preload. The RTVs showed statistically significant differences among all groups, with the GapSeal® group and PTFE group showing the highest and lowest values, respectively. It can be concluded that the application of the PTFE tape on the screw significantly reduced the preload and RTV. The silicone sealing gel did not affect the preload but increased the RTV. Therefore, the use of GapSeal® should be considered to prevent prosthetic screw loosening, while the use of PTFE tape should be avoided.

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