ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Central manufacturing of two-piece computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) zirconia abutments may provide a higher accuracy of internal and external adaptation at the expense of delayed restoration delivery. The aim of this study was to compare the fit of two-part zirconia abutments that were either fabricated centrally with the DEDICAM system or at a local laboratory. The field of interest was the marginal, external, and internal luting gap between the titanium insert and CAD/CAM zirconia coping. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of nine two-piece CAD/CAM zirconia hybrid abutments were subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the precision of fit and thickness of the adhesive joint. Control specimens were fabricated with the CAMLOG DEDICAM system at the manufacturer's site; the test specimens were produced in a local laboratory. After embedding all samples (n = 18) in resin, they were sectioned, and the external, marginal, and internal luting gaps between the titanium base and zirconia coping were measured with SEM. Welch's t test was used for statistical analysis of the obtained data. RESULTS: The overall range of measured gaps between the components of two-piece CAD/CAM zirconia abutments was 0 to 115.5 µm; the mean overall gap size and standard deviation was 45.61 ± 5.88 µm and showed no appreciable difference between the test and control groups. The mean sizes of the marginal/external and internal gaps showed only negligible differences. The internal gap size was generally larger and showed a higher variability than the marginal/external gaps, albeit on a very low level. None of the reported differences between the test and control specimens were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Luting-gap sizes of CAMLOG DEDICAM- and locally fabricated CAD/CAM zirconia hybrid abutments showed no appreciable difference. Both configurations of two-piece abutments provided a highly precise fit of hybrid components, overmatching the high-quality standards in CAD/CAM implant-based prosthetic dentistry.
