Influence of the nanometric surface topography on the primary stability of dental mini-implants

Abstract Introduction The physical-chemical modification of the surface of mini-implants used in the support of overdentures can influence the mechanical performance and survival of the same. Objective To evaluate the influence of a nanometric surface treatment on the mechanical performance of new mini-implant designs. Material and method 40 mini-implants (Ti-6Al-4V) with Ø 2 mm x 10 mm in length and two different designs, threaded and helical, were divided into four groups (n = 10) according to model, presence or absence of surface treatment. The mechanical performance was evaluated by means of insertion torque and pullout test in swine bony cylinders. Analysis of variance ANOVA and Tukey test, with significance of 5% were used for statistical analysis of the data. Result A statistically significant difference was observed between the groups with and without treatment for insertion torque (p <0.001) and pullout test (p = 0.006), being the highest mean for the treatment group, regardless of the design. In the comparison between the designs, the thread presented a significantly higher average (p <0.001) than the helicoid. Conclusion The nanometric surface treatment enabled better mechanical performance of the mini-implants evaluated. With respect to the new designs tested, the thread presented superior results to the helicoidal one.