In-vitro investigation of the effect of residual cement on the abutment surface of implant-supported restorations with liquid latex barrier

After cementing of implant-supported cement-retained restorations, the complete removal of the cement is now a serious problem that damages surrounding tissues and even leads to loss of implants. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of the liquid latex barrier technique we applied during cementation of cement-retained implant-supported restorations to prevent adhesion of the excessive cement onto the implant abutment and to investigate the effect of step depth on the area and depth of the residual cement after cleaning operations. For this purpose, 20 standard models with implant analogs embedded in acrylic blocks and artificial silicone gums at a height of 4 mm were prepared. Subsequently, anatomical abutments (4.5mm in diameter and gum height 2.5-4mm) were torqued on the models. The models were divided into two groups according to the cementation procedure (cleaning with conventional sond and cleaning with liquid latex barrier technique). Two different cement cleaning procedures were performed with 20 standard PMMA temporary crown produced by CAD/CAM. The extracted crown-abutment complexes were photographed at 20 magnifications under a light microscope. As a result of our work, the liquid latex barrier technique increases the amount of residual cement and the depth of the cement that is not cleaned as the step depth increases in the conventional stainless steel explorer cleaning procedure in the in vitro conditions we have prepared (1,5-0 mm step depth). The liquid latex barrier technique is a safer cement cleaning method by preventing the remaining cement on the substrate surface Key Words: Cementation, dental implant, abutment, residual cement, likid latex barrier technique