Assessment of the implant-abutment interface in periapical, bitewing and panoramic radiographs

Introduction: Lack of adaptationmay lead to failures of the prosthetic and implant components. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the implant-abutment interface (IAI) through periapical, bitewing and panoramic radiographs. Methods: The sample consisted of five mandible phantoms in which ten external hexagon implants and ten abutmentswere installed.The implants were positioned in the region of the mandibular first molar with IAI of 0.25mm and 0.50mm. Periapical, bitewing and panoramic radiographs (n=130) were obtained from the implants and were presented to three examiners for the assessment of the IAI. Mann-Whitney test was applied to investigate the influence of the IAI size on its assessment in radiographs. G- and Kruskal-Wallis test were applied to verify the performance of each type of radiograph in the assessment of the IAI. Inter-examiner reproducibility was quantified with Kappa statistics. Statistical significance was set at 5%. Results: The assessment of the IAI was not statistically different between the different types of radiographs (p>0.05). This outcomes was consistent both for IAI of 0.25mm (p=0.073) and 0.50mm (p=0.080). Statistically significant differences were observed only when the anatomic position of the implants was changed. Conclusion: These findings indicate that detection of IAI in radiographs depends on the position of the implant in the dental arch. Further studies are encouraged to assess the effectiveness of different types of radiographs and imaging modalities in different region of the dental arch.