Load-Bearing Capacity of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Abutments and One-Piece Implants

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRC) can potentially help in a physiologic stress transmission due to its excellent biomechanical matching with living tissues. Novel one-piece FRC implants and abutments with two different fiber orientations were loaded until failure to assess the load-bearing capacity, fracture patterns, and precision of fit. The one-piece FRC implants showed significantly higher load-bearing capacity compared to FRC abutments regardless of the fiber orientation (p < 0.001). For FRC abutments, bidirectional abutments showed significantly higher loads compared to unidirectional abutments (p < 0.001). The type of structure and fiber orientation are strong determinant factors of the load-bearing capacity of FRC implants and abutments.