Comparative Evaluation of Retentive Properties of Two Compatible Ball Attachments in Mandibular Implant-Retained Overdentures: An In Vitro Study.

Objectives: The retentive properties of implant-retained overdentures (IRO) may be influenced by the type of attachments. The aim of this research was to compare the retention of two dental implant systems with compatible ball attachments, namely Straumann® system (SS) and Rhein83 SRL system (RS) after fatigue testing.

Materials and methods: Two laboratory models consisting of two parallel Straumann® fixtures at a distance of 22 mm were prepared. Five pairs of each systems' ball attachments were examined (n=5). The samples were soaked in artificial saliva. The retention strength values (RSV) were recorded before the fatigue test and after 1100, 2200, 3300, 4400, and 5500 insertion and removal cycles at a speed of 51 mm/minute with a 50-N load cell in a universal testing machine. The data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by independent sample t-test with Bonferroni corrections.

Results: There was a decrease in the RSV in both systems after 5500 cycles of insertion and removal. There was a significant statistical difference between the RSV of the normal Sphero Block of the RS (17.52±0.68 N) and that of the Spare Lamella retention inserts of the SS (19.72±0.74 N, P=0.001).

Conclusions: Although the RSVs of the RS and SS were almost similar before the fatigue test, as the number of insertion and removal cycles increased, the RSV decreased more significantly in the RS compared to the SS.