Effect of repetitive firing on passive fit of metal substructure produced by the laser sintering in implant-supported fixed prosthesis

PURPOSE@#. The aim of the present study was to investigate the passive fit of metal substructure after repetitive firing processes in implant-supposed prosthesis. @*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#. Five implants (4 mm diameter and 10 mm length) were placed into the resin-based mandibular model and 1-piece of screw-retained metal substructure was produced with the direct metal laser sintering (DMSL) method using Co-Cr compound (n = 10). The distance between the marked points on the multiunit supports and the marginal end of the substructure was measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at each stage (metal, opaque, dentin, and glaze). 15 measurements were taken from each prosthesis, and 150 measurements from 10 samples were obtained. In total, 600 measurements were carried out at 4 stages. One-way ANOVA test was used for statistical evaluation of the data. @*RESULTS@#. When the obtained marginal range values were examined, differences between groups were found to be statistically significant (P<.001). The lowest values were found in the metal stage (172.4 ± 76.5 μm) and the highest values (238.03 ± 118.92 μm) were determined after glaze application. When the interval values for groups are compared with pairs, the differences between metal with dentin, metal with glaze, opaque with dentin, opaque with glaze, and dentin with glaze were found to be significant (P<.05), whereas the difference between opaque with metal was found to be insignificant (P=.992). @*CONCLUSION@#. Passive fit of 1-piece designed implant-retained fixed prosthesis that is supported by multiple implants is negatively affected by repetitive firing processes.

Effect of different veneering techniques on the fracture strength of metal and zirconia frameworks

PURPOSE: To determine whether the fracture strengths and failure types differed between metal and zirconia frameworks veneered with pressable or layering ceramics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A phantom molar tooth was prepared and duplicated in 40 cobalt-chromium abutments. Twenty metal (IPS d.SIGN 15, Ivoclar, Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) and 20 zirconia (IPS e.max ZirCAD, Ivoclar) frameworks were fabricated on the abutments. Each framework group was randomly divided into 2 subgroups according to the veneering material: pressable and layering ceramics (n=10). Forty molar crowns were fabricated, cemented onto the corresponding abutments and then thermocycled (5-55degrees C, 10,000 cycles). A load was applied in a universal testing machine until a fracture occurred on the crowns. In addition, failure types were examined using a stereomicroscope. Fracture load data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD post-hoc tests at a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: The highest strength value was seen in metal-pressable (MP) group, whereas zirconia-pressable (ZP) group exhibited the lowest one. Moreover, group MP showed significantly higher fracture loads than group ZP (P=.015) and zirconia-layering (ZL) (P=.038) group. No significant difference in fracture strength was detected between groups MP and ML, and groups ZP and ZL (P>.05). Predominant fracture types were cohesive for metal groups and adhesive for zirconia groups. CONCLUSION: Fracture strength of a restoration with a metal or a zirconia framework was independent of the veneering techniques. However, the pressing technique over metal frameworks resisted significantly higher fracture loads than zirconia frameworks.

Gallstone Disease Does Not Predict Liver Histology in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We sought to examine whether the presence of gallstone disease (GD) in patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with liver fibrosis and histological nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) score. METHODS: We included 441 Turkish patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. GD was diagnosed in the presence of sonographic evidence of gallstones, echogenic material within the gallbladder with constant shadowing and little or no visualization of the gallbladder or absence of gallbladder at ultrasonography, coupled with a history of cholecystectomy. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients (12.2%) had GD (GD+ subjects). Compared with the GD- subjects, GD+ patients were older, had a higher body mass index and were more likely to be female and have metabolic syndrome. However, GD+ patients did not have a higher risk of advanced fibrosis or definite NASH on histology. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, the prevalence of GD in NAFLD patients was not associated with significant fibrosis (> or =2) (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 2.21; p=0.68) or definite NASH (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.495 to 2.12; p=0.84). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of GD is not independently associated with advanced fibrosis and definite NASH in adult Turkish patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD.

Investigation of bonding properties of denture bases to silicone-based soft denture liner immersed in isobutyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the bonding properties of denture bases to silicone-based soft denture liners immersed in isobutyl methacrylate (iBMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) for various lengths of time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) test specimens were fabricated (75 mm in length, 12 mm in diameter at the thickest section, and 7 mm at the thinnest section) and then randomly assigned to five groups (n=15); untreated (Group 1), resilient liner immersed in iBMA for 1 minute (Group 2), resilient liner immersed in iBMA for 3 minutes (Group 3), resilient liner immersed in HEMA for 1 minute (Group 4), and resilient liner immersed in HEMA for 3 minutes (Group 5). The resilient liner specimens were processed between 2 PMMA blocks. Bonding strength of the liners to PMMA was compared by tensile test with a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min. Data were evaluated by 1-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons tests (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: The highest mean value of force was observed in Group 3 specimens. The differences between groups were statistically significant (P<.05), except between Group 1 and Group 4 (P=.063). CONCLUSION: Immersion of silicone-based soft denture liners in iBMA for 3 minutes doubled the tensile bond strength between the silicone soft liner and PMMA denture base materials compared to the control group.